ON the 1st of January, 1777, Washington's army at Trenton numbered about five thousand men. On the next day Cornwallis approached with greatly superior forces. During the afternoon there was severe skirmishing along the roads east of Trenton. During the night Washington called a council of war, and it was determined to leave the camp, pass the British left flank, and strike the enemy at Princeton. The baggage was removed to Burlington. The camp-fires were brightly kindled and kept burning through the night, while the army was in motion toward Princeton. Everything was done in silence. The morning light showed the British sentries a deserted camp.

2. At sunrise Washington was entering Princeton. At the same time the British were marching out to reinforce Cornwallis. The Americans met them in the edge of the village, and the battle at once began. The British charged bayonets, and the militia gave way in confusion. General Mercer received a mortal wound. But the Pennsylvania regulars, led by the commander-in-chief, stood their ground. Washington rallied his men with the greatest bravery; and the British were routed, with a loss of four hundred and thirty men in killed, wounded, and missing.

3. On the night of the 22d of May, Colonel Meigs, of Connecticut, embarked two hundred men in whale-boats, crossed the sound, and attacked Sag Harbor. The British were overpowered; only four of them escaped; five or six were killed, and the remaining ninety were made prisoners. The stores were destroyed by the patriots, who, without the loss of a man, returned to Guilford. Colonel Meigs was rewarded by Congress with an elegant sword.

4. The patriot forces of the North were now concentrated on the Hudson; and a camp, under Arnold, was laid out on the Delaware. In the latter part of May, Washington broke up his winter-quarters and took an advantageous position only ten miles from the British camp. Howe crossed over from New York and threatened an attack upon the American lines. Finally, the British, on the 30th of June, crossed over to Staten Island. On the 10th of July, General Prescott, of the British army, was captured at a farm-house near Newport. This gave the Americans an officer of equal rank to exchange for General Lee. Congress in the mean time returned to Philadelphia.

5. From the beginning of the war the people of France had been friendly to the American cause. By and by their sympathy became more outspoken. The French ministers would do nothing openly to provoke a war with Great Britain; but secretly they rejoiced at every British misfortune. During the year 1777, the French managed to supply the colonies with twenty thousand muskets and a thousand barrels of powder.

6. At last the republicans of France began to embark for America. Foremost of all came the young Marquis de La Fayette. Fitting a vessel at his own expense, he eluded the officers, and with the brave De Kalb and a small company of followers reached South Carolina in April of 1777. He entered the army as a volunteer, and in the following July was commissioned a major-general.

7. One of the most important events of the war was the campaign of General Burgoyne. In command of the English forces in Canada, he spent the spring of 1777 in organizing an army of ten thousand men for the invasion of New York. The force consisted of British, Hessians, Canadians, and Indians. The plan of the campaign embraced a descent upon Albany and New York, and the cutting off of New England from the Middle and Southern colonies.

8. On the 1st of June, Burgoyne reached Lake Champlain, and on the 16th proceeded to Crown Point. This place was occupied by the British; and on the 5th of July, Ticonderoga, which was defended by three thousand men under General St. Clair, was captured. Soon afterward the British reached Whitehall and seized a large quantity of stores.

9. At this time the American army of the North was commanded by General Schuyler. His forces, numbering between four and five thousand, were at Fort Edward. This place was captured by Burgoyne on the 30th of July, the Americans retreating down the Hudson. The British general now dispatched Colonels Baum and Breymann to seize the stores at Bennington, Vermont. Colonel John Stark rallied the New Hampshire militia, and on the 15th of August met the British near the village. On the following morning there was a furious battle, in which Baum's force was completely routed. The British lost in killed, wounded, and prisoners more than eight hundred men. The country was thrilled by the victory.

10. A few days after the battle of Bennington, Burgoyne received intelligence of a still greater reverse, at Fort Schuyler, on the Mohawk.

11. The British general lost a month in procuring supplies from Canada. He now found himself hemmed in by nine thousand patriot soldiers. General Lincoln arrived with the militia of New England. Washington sent several detachments from the regular army. Morgan came with his riflemen. General Gates superseded Schuyler in command of the northern army. On the 8th of September, the American headquarters were advanced to Stillwater. On the 14th of the month, Burgoyne crossed the Hudson and took post at Saratoga. The two armies now came face to face. On the 19th, a general battle ensued, continuing until nightfall. The conflict, though severe, was indecisive; the Americans retired within their lines, and the British slept on the field. To the patriots the result of the battle was equivalent to a victory.

12. The condition of Burgoyne grew critical. His supplies failed; his Canadian and Indian allies deserted his standard. On the 7th of October, he hazarded another battle, in which he lost his bravest officers and nearly seven hundred privates. The brave General Fraser was killed, and his disheartened men turned and fled from the field. The Americans were completely victorious.

13. Burgoyne now began a retreat, and on the 9th of October reached Saratoga. Here he was intercepted by Gates and Lincoln, and forced to surrender. On the 17th of October terms of capitulation were agreed on, and the whole army, numbering five thousand seven hundred and ninety-one, became prisoners of war. Among the captives were six members of the British Parliament. Forty-two pieces of brass artillery, five thousand muskets, and an immense quantity of stores were the fruits of the victory.

14. As soon as the invasion was at an end, a large portion of the army was dispatched to aid Washington in a great campaign in progress in the South. On the 23d of July, Howe had sailed from New York, with eighteen thousand men, to attack Philadelphia. Washington advanced his headquarters from Philadelphia to Wilmington. The American army, numbering about eleven thousand men, was concentrated at that place. The forces of Howe were vastly superior, but Washington hoped to beat back the invaders and save the capital.

15. On the 25th of August the British landed at Elk River, in Maryland, and began their march toward Philadelphia. Washington selected the Brandywine as his line of defence. The left wing was stationed at Chad's Ford, while the right, under General Sullivan, was extended up the river. On the 11th of September the British reached the opposite bank and began battle. The Hessians, under Knyphausen, attacked at the ford; but the British, led by Cornwallis and Howe, marched up the Brandywine and crossed above the American right. Sullivan allowed himself to be outflanked. Washington was misled by false information; the right wing was crushed by Cornwallis, and the day was lost.

16. During the night the patriots retreated to West Chester. The loss of the Americans amounted to a thousand men; that of the British to five hundred and eighty-four. La Fayette was severely wounded. Count Pulaski so distinguished himself in this engagement that Congress honored him with the rank of brigadier. Washington continued his retreat as far as Germantown. On the 15th of the month he recrossed the Schuylkill and met Howe at Warren's Tavern. But just as the conflict was beginning, a violent tempest swept over the field. The combatants were deluged, their cartridges soaked, and fighting made impossible. Howe succeeded in crossing the Schuylkill, and hastened to Philadelphia. On the 26th of September the city was taken, and the main division of the British army encamped at Germantown.

17. Congress adjourned, first to Lancaster, and afterward to York, where they held their sessions until the next summer. On the night of the 3d of October Washington attempted to surprise the British at Germantown. But the roads were rough, and the different columns reached the British outpost at irregular intervals. There was much severe fighting, but the British gained possession of a large stone house and could not be dislodged. The tide turned against the patriots, and the day was lost. On the 22d of October, Fort Mercer, on the Delaware, was taken by Hessians, while the British fleet took Fort Mifflin, on Mud Island. General Howe thus obtained control of the Delaware.

18. After the battle of Germantown, Washington took up his headquarters at White Marsh. The patriots began to suffer for food and clothing. On the evening of the 2d of December, Howe held a council of war at the house of Lydia Darrah in Philadelphia. It was decided to surprise Washington in his camp. But Lydia, who overheard the plans of Howe, left the city on pretence of going to mill, rode to the American lines, and gave the alarm. When the British approached White Marsh, they found the cannons mounted and the patriots in order of battle. The British general maneuvered for four days, and then marched back to Philadelphia.

19. On the 11th of December Washington went into winter quarters at Valley Forge, on the right bank of the Schuylkill. Thousands of the soldiers were without shoes, and the frozen ground was marked with bloody footprints. Log cabins were built, and everything was done that could be done to secure the comfort of the suffering patriots. But it was a long and dreary winter. These were the darkest days of Washington's life. Congress in a measure abandoned him. Many men high in military and civil station left the great leader unsupported. But the allegiance of the army remained unshaken, and the nation's confidence in the chieftain became stronger than ever.