MOORE NEWS Volume II January 1, 1997 Issue 38 SALUTATIONS This delightful Seasonal Greeting came in too late to be included in the Christmas Day issue, but it's too eloquent not to share it for the entire year. From: Lt28Ret WISHING YOU A MOORE MERRY CHRISTMAS! The J.C.JOHNSON (MOORE) (Lt28Ret) family wishes all MOORE relatives and those wishing they were MOORES a very MOOREE,MOOREE,CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR. God Bless you all. __________________ At this time of the year, we celebrate holidays with families and friends, listen to our beloved Christmas carols, and pay attention to the majestic Christmas Story once again. Rarely do we associate the Christmas season with a series of events that took place during one long ago Christmas season which defined the environment of our heritage. This issue is devoted to the Editor's retelling of the story. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two Hundred Years Ago . . . . Plus Twenty "We will strike a blow for Liberty that will Shine like the Stars." While the First Virginia Regiment of Light Dragoons trained in Yorktown, General Washington and his tiny army reeled from one defeat after another in the northeast. The small, minimally trained colonial army was hardly a match for a British behemoth of disciplined regulars in the arena of New England. During this desperate period, the General communicated with the Congress requesting them to negotiate with Virginia to send the newly raised Regiment of Light Dragoons north to his Headquarters. By December, the Washington's colonial army was beating its way south across New Jersey, barely holding the British at bay. The American Commander was depressed and discouraged. It seemed that he could hope for little more than, with the help of God, to marshal enough troops for a sufficient defense of Philadelphia, the seat of the Continental Congress and largest city of the colonies. When the American army reached western New Jersey, there were fewer than 5,000 soldiers to oppose Howe's 10,000 well-fed, well-equipped English and Hessian regulars. The British were confident that only a minor effort would be required to subdue this little upstart army of colonials, and they would celebrate Christmas of 1776 in the warm taverns of Philadelphia. Many New Jersey inhabitants fled from their homes before the coming wave of British soldiers reached them. Those who remained were offered British protection if they would swear allegiance to King George. Many did. Instead of turning out to defend the country and offering aid to our Army, they are making their submissions as fast as they can. -- George Washington Word of the defections, the submissions, the desertions, inspired a young Englishman sojourning in the colonies to upbraid the American colonists. It is doubtful that Thomas Paine could ever have anticipated that his words would become the rallying cry of the struggling nation-to-be. These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it Now, deserves the love and thanks of every man and woman. -- Thomas Paine, "The Crises" Read aloud in towns and villages, in the evenings at taverns, to militia units training on the parade field, from the pulpits of churches - on the back of a dark calvary horse far from home - Tom Paine's words resounded across the thirteen colonies, and an aroused citizenry responded. They dug deep inside and examined the farthest reaches of their consciences and found the courage they needed. The courage they found sustained the citizens of the middle states through six hard years of war fought in their fields, amid the trees of their orchards, down by the spring house, in the meadow behind the barn. All this while the sons and husbands and fathers, who would defend them and care for them, were far from home. NOVEMBER 25, 1776 . . . By late November, the American Army was setting up winter quarters in Morristown, New Jersey. Washington expected the arrival of the Virginia Dragoons any day now. He knew the mettle of the young men who comprised this Virginia calvary troop, and they would meet the challenges he would set for them. Only native Americans had been enlisted, for the Commander believed they alone possessed the courage he needed for the task ahead. Their horses were inconspicuous and dark; they knew the ways of the woods and could find their way back to camp if separated; they could feed themselves and their horses when patrolling far from the supply wagons; and they possessed the ingenuity to defend themselves against an enemy, whether predatory animal or British grenadier. Now, late in the fall, a hint of frost was in the air. Fields had been harvested and winter's grip was beginning to tighten. Knowing that forage for the animals and food for the soldiers would be difficult to obtain, the British had decided to "stop any further progress" and prepared their troops for winter. The troops were deployed at four posts in New Jersey: Trenton, Pennington and Bordentown, with a base of operations at Brunswick. Come spring, they would be poised to sweep over the colonials and take Philadelphia - or so they thought. Meanwhile, the First Virginia Light Dragoons, not yet fully trained nor equipped, marched out of Yorktown toward the headquarters of the Continental Army. ... from there [Yorktown] we marched to Baltimore, thence to Philadelphia, thence to Head-quarters at Morristown in the State of New Jersey where we remained. . . under the command of General Washington. -- John Webster, Private, 1st Virginia Light Dragoons They left Virginia with some misgivings for their mission was to defend Virginia, not Philadelphia. The surge for liberty was strong in their hearts, but their vision of independence was of separate autonomous states united by a single goal, not bound by a single government. Promises from the Congress of land bounties for Continental soldiers, somewhat mollified their misgivings. Progress of the Virginia troops was hindered because they were escorting British prisoners to be held for exchange. As they moved toward the north, the sunny nip in the air that invigorated them during the early days of their march turned to a cold, gray drizzle. John Webster, Private, and his fellow soldiers probably had many thoughts and light-hearted conversations about the warm inns and well-spread holiday tables they would find in Philadelphia. More privately, they surely longed for the warm hearts and toasty hearths they had left behind. On Christmas Day as the First Virginia Dragoon Regiment, commanded by Colonel Theoderick Bland, approached Philadelphia, General Washington led his Continental Army out of Morristown to a little valley on the west side of the Delaware River. They carried provisions for three days. By 3:00 PM they were marching toward the fords where small skiffs awaited to ferry them across the river. By nightfall, they had crossed the river and a hard march brought them within sight of Trenton. Soon after midnight, the tiny American Army approached its Trenton target and attacked. Completely and utterly surprised in their quarters as they slept off the effects of their Christmas celebration, only a few hundred British and Hessians escaped. In addition to the prisoners, the colonial army captured all of the British arms, provisions, and equipment. Initially, General Washington had hoped to hold his ground and push ahead. To do so, he now realized, would be foolhardy. More than 2,000 of his troops were stranded on the west side of the Delaware and reinforcements, including Bland's Virginia Regiment, did not arrive in time for this Christmas Day raid. He knew, too, that British reinforcements would soon be upon them in overwhelming numbers, and the country side was stripped bare of provisions for his soldiers and animals. Always a pragmatic leader, the American Commander followed the only sensible course open to him. He led his army back across the Delaware where they would rest, and he would gather reinforcements and reorganize for another day. Bland's Horse was still several days away. There can be no doubt, though, that these sturdy young Virginians raised a mighty cheer of celebration when they learned of the stunning Christmas night victory at Trenton. Knowing the Virginia soldiers were not far away, General Washington sent out a courier with an urgent message for Colonel Bland. I am informed you are on your march from Virginia to join the army under my command and that you have the charge of the prisoners who were ordered up to be exchanged. As this must delay your march very much, and as I do not think it expedient for the prisoners to come on just at this time, I desire you will leave them at the most convenient place . . . and advance the Horse as quick as you possibly can. -- George Washington to Colonel Theoderick Bland, December 29, 1776 The prisoners were secured where they were and Bland's Horse pressed forward at full speed, arriving at Headquarters two days later. As Bland's troops hastened toward Morristown, the British General, Cornwallis, was advancing from the northeast to reoccupy Trenton. He had a trained force numbering nearly 7,000 regulars, 28 pieces of artillery, and a rear guard of 1,200 troops - almost double the size of the American army. Weather became the third player in this game of "Keeps." The wind shifted, blowing now from the south bringing a temporary thaw. As the British troops began to advance toward Trenton, they found roads softened by the warmth, forcing them to halt time and time again to free heavy artillery. When dusk came, General Cornwallis decided to hold until morning when he would continue on to Trenton. We've got the old fox safe now. We'll bag him in the morning. -- General Cornwallis, December 1776 NEW YEAR'S DAY, 1777 . . . The American Commander assembled his newly reinforced army on New Year's Day. He could count a complement of 5,000 men, including Bland's Regiment of Virginia Horse. Recently, a British officer had called the colonial army "a flock of animated scarecrows." Nevertheless, this was the largest battle ready force the General had ever been able to count at one time. JANUARY 2, 1777 . . . During the day, the wind shifted again, now bearing down on them from the northwest. As darkness fell, sleet glazed the roads and dampness seeped into the powder and flint; but the American Commander was confident that this army could reprise its Christmas Day victory. The time was right, he felt, to venture across the Delaware again. As he prepared to lead them across the river, ice had already formed. Shivering soldiers waded into the frigid water and chopped away the ice at a low water point. Wagons placed end to end and fitted with boards formed a bridge for the troops. On the west side of the Delaware, they set up a camp near Trenton. Before midnight, the mercury began spiraling into the teens. JANUARY 3, 1777, 1:00 AM . . . A party of 400 remained at the Trenton campsite keeping the fires burning to give the appearance of an occupied camp. The main body of the colonial army began a quiet march along a back road which lay to the east of Princeton. This route would bring them behind the British line by dawn. The American army crossed Quaker Creek, still maintaining quiet on this murky night, and marched to Princeton along a now frozen road. The words of those who were there on this midnight night march describe it best: . . . About 1:00 AM, the march began, leaving fires burning [at the campsite] and muffling the artillery wheels . . . . . . The horses were without shoes and would slide in every direction on the ice. . . . The morning was bright, serene, and extremely cold. Hoar frost be speckled every object. At daylight it was noted that the ground was marked by the blood of the soldier's feet. . . When the forward British troops awoke near Trenton the next morning, they found an empty American camp facing them. About sunrise, General Mercer's leading continental brigade, crested the summit of a hill and received enemy fire. Soon the British were reinforced and General Mercer ordered a retreat to avoid further casualties. His soldiers scattered frantically into the woods. Then . . . out of nowhere it seemed . . . the American Commander appeared in their midst, exhorting them: There is but a handful of the enemy and we will have them directly. . . The day will be ours. -- George Washington Accompanied by Bland's Virginia Horse, the Commander of the American Army turned his Army toward the British and led a bayonet charge which broke their line. Outflanked and out-generaled, the British fled. A few trapped in Nassau Hall surrendered. How would it have felt to have been there on that cold winter's day in 1777? When the furor of the battle was over and there was time to rest and reflect, was there any way these young Virginia soldiers could comprehend the enormity of what they had just done? Most were but 17 or 18 years old, yet they had ridden into their first battle, one of the quintessential events of American history, with their Commander, the most beloved figure in American history. A New Jersey farmer left an account of the post-battle mood. Immediately after the battle, General Washington and his men came into our house. Though they were both hungry and thirsty, none of them but showed joy in the countenance. It animated my old blood with love to see those men but a few minutes ago had been courageously looking death in the face in ravages of a bold and daring enemy. Sometimes, the most informative accounts of a battle are left by the enemy as in the case of these descriptions of British officers: . . . I never saw men look so furious as they did when they charged with their bayonets. . . . . . They seem to be ignorant of the precision and order, and even of the principles by which large bodies are moved, yet they possess some of the requisites for making good troops, such as extreme cunning, great industry . . . and a spirit of enterprise upon any advantage. It was once the fashion to treat them in the most contemptible light, they are now become a formidable enemy. . . . . . We intended to renew the battle at daybreak, but Washington spared us the trouble. This clever man, who did not doubt that Lord Cornwallis would realize his mistake. . .made such a forced march under cover of darkness that he arrived at daybreak at Princetown, where he overwhelmed the corps under General Leslie, took six 6-pounders and a part of the baggage, and withdrew past Rocky Hill into the mountains. At daybreak on the morning of the 3rd, we suddenly learned that Washington had abandoned his position. At the same time we heard a heavy cannonade in our rear, which surprised everyone. Instantly we marched back at quick step to Princetown, where we found the entire field of action . . . covered with corpses. This brilliant coup which Washington performed against Lord Cornwallis, which raised so much hubbub and sensation in the world and gave Washington the reputation of an excellent general, derived simply and solely from Lord Cornwallis' mistake of not marching in two columns from Trenton. Several days later it was learned that after the coup at Prince-town, General Washington and his army had camped in the woods at Rocky Hill, two hours from Princetown, until the morning of the 4th - completely exhausted, without ammunition and pro-visions - and only then had resumed the march past Bound Brook and Basking Ridge to the mountains of Morristown where the army had a main depot. -- Captain Johann Ewald, "Journal of a Hessian Soldier" Read, too, the account of the American General who had just out-foxed England's General Cornwallis, who had indeed made a serious mistake when he equated the Colonial Commander with a fox ready to be bagged. Difficulty crossing Delaware on account of ice made our passage over tedious. Our situation most critical and our strength small. On the second occasion to my expectation, the enemy began to advance and after some skirmishing reached Trenton, but finding the fords guarded, halted and kindled their fires. Having discerned that the enemy were greatly superior in number and that their drift was to surround us, I ordered all our baggage be removed silently after dark. At 12:00 after renewing our fires and leaving some guards at the bridge in Trenton and other passes, marched by a round about road to Princeton that we might by a fortunate stroke withdraw General Howe from Trenton, give some repute to our arms; happily we succeeded. We found Princeton about sunrise, their 3 Regiments made a gallant resistance, but they must have lost upwards of 500 men killed, wounded, prisoners. There are 300 prisoners, 14 of which are officers. -- George Washington to the Continental Congress, January 5, 1777 Weary, but jubilant, the victorious American Army followed their General back across the Delaware to their camp in Morristown. At the end of Christmas Season 1776, the "old fox" and his "flock of animated scarecrows" had saved Philadelphia and forced the British to give up 60 miles of their extended line. Their gallantry and ingenuity finally earned them the reluctant respect of their enemy. Thirty years after that Christmas of 1776, Edmund Randolph of Virginia recalled the impact of these two Christmas victories: The successes. . . at Trenton and Princeton were not insulated events but formed an epoch from which the reputation and safety of America may take a new date. The intelligence shot through America with electrical rapidity and scattered wonder in its train how these brilliant acts could have been achieved. - Edmund Randolph, "History of Virginia" __________________________________________________ MOORE NEWS: Compiled from email and other sources Distributed by Joyce Browning cJBrown7169@AOL.com 1 January 1996