Forever Young Birth Of A Nation (31 page)

“Yes, but not enough to withstand a
bombardment by the Royal Navy. They could fire on the guns on this
shore while they had other ships of their fleet remove that
wreckage. We have seen hundreds of British ships.”

“Well it is a good thing for the Continental
Army that you are not in charge of the British Navy here, Stuart”
said Rebecca, turning to smile at him.

Stuart blushed a bit and said “I apologize
for that, it is just that I am thinking out loud I suppose. What do
you make of it Cosette?”

“I keep thinking of Ian, wondering where he
is now and all……I see what you are saying though. With so many
ships here, you would think they would make every effort to do what
you said. This is a good thing for the Continentals I think.” She
sat then staring eastward like the others, thinking
where are
you, Ian?

***

Ian made his way to near Washington’s
command center only to see Henry Knox with some artillery,
overseeing the reinforcement of a battery there, looking to the
north. About the time Ian greeted him and had told him he was
bringing boats, Knox was summoned to a meeting.

It was not half an hour when he came out and
handed orders to Ian saying “Tell Heath to have Glover get
everything he has that will float over here now. We are evacuating
tonight.” Turning then he began to bark out orders to his
commanders for the moving of the artillery to the shore of the east
River.

Ian reached Heath’s Headquarters in only
minutes in the drizzling rain, running at vampire speed when he
could avoid being seen. Heath looked at Ian after reading the
orders, and said “Looks like you were right. We will have
everything that can float get over there when we can.”

In only minutes Ian delivered that message
to Washington’s adjutant and waited in case a message needed to be
sent out. It was beginning to grow dark now and there had been
sporadic cannon fire all day from the Continental Army but the
British guns had fallen silent. Ian soon learned that they had
stopped their advance and were digging in for a siege. He thought
that their navy might try to clear away the sunken hulks and cut
off any chance at retreat across the East river back to Manhattan
in the coming days. There was a slim chance that they might get off
of Long Island before the British overran them if they worked all
night.

The young adjutant called to Ian by name,
saying “Take these to General Mifflin. He is at the south redoubt
now.”

Ian was there in only a few minutes then,
and Mifflin himself opened the dispatch. “Well it looks like we
have to keep all of the campfires burning while the Army evacuates.
Can’t have the British suspect we are leaving.” Dismissed then, Ian
was soon at the Brooklyn Heights command center. He confirmed to
the adjutant that he had delivered the message and told him that he
would be helping General Knox move his cannon to the shore for
evacuation.

All of that night the men worked in near
silence. Orders were given to wrap the wagon wheels in blankets and
for no man to be talking. All spoke barely above a whisper then as
the night progressed. There was a non-stop flow of men and
artillery being ferried to Manhattan all night long, beginning
maybe an hour or two before midnight. Ian wrestled the cannon down
from the steepest part of the battery helping with every one
through the steepest incline near the top. By daylight it was
apparent that they lacked time to finish the evacuation. As he
helped with the artillery Ian saw Washington pacing to and fro
watching impatiently as it grew light.

By God’s grace it became foggy about the
time it was daytime and the evacuation continued uninterrupted. The
last of the cannon was loaded around six o’clock that morning and
Ian was on the last boat out when George Washington himself stepped
aboard it around 6:30.

In spite of the disappointment at having to
leave a position to the British, Ian felt that he had witnessed a
miracle of sorts. The capture of the Continental Army and possibly
George Washington himself would have been catastrophic for the
cause of liberty. He heard some of Washington’s commanders telling
him that very thing as the large barge made its way across the East
River toward Manhattan. Washington looked grim, but nodded his head
in agreement. Ian heard him express sorrow at the Continental
Army’s loss of lives that day though. That seemed to weigh heavily
on the man from what Ian could tell.

By the time the fog had lifted later in the
morning of August 30th, the British saw that the Americans had
evacuated and were nowhere to be seen. Nine thousand men, their
artillery, powder, shot, horses and weapons were simply gone. The
British Army had missed their chance to deal a crippling blow to
the continental Army that day by stopping and digging in, and by
not having their navy remove the sunken wrecks keeping them from
the East River. The American Army was intact and still had their
supreme commander as well.

Stefan returned to the barn to find that the
others had returned from hunting and were waiting there with
Yvonne. “The fighting has stopped. From what I can tell, the
Americans may have evacuated and crossed the river back to New York
City.”

“The British will fortify everything along
the shores where we were living. It will not be safe for us to
return for a while. When it is calmer there, we will return some
night.” They turned together then and walked to the far corner of
the barn and Stefan replied in a whisper “Meanwhile we stay here,
in this barn?”

Whispering to him Yvonne said “We do unless
we want to break apart this coven, Stefan. What other choice do we
have right now?”

“We could at least move into that house
nearby.”

“And do what when the owners return? Kill
them? And if they have friends or relatives who come looking for
them then what? There are thousands of British regulars nearby now
and martial law will be in effect here for some time to come. We do
not need to become the focus of the British Army, Stefan.”

He sighed, shaking his head saying “I just
wish something would happen. All of this skulking around and
waiting for McCloud to show up and all…..it is wearing on me.”

She came very close to him then, putting her
arms around his waist saying “We will slip away from the others
later and I will make you feel better. We are going to need this
coven when our time comes. Help me keep them together and out of
sight. Maybe we can move back when things settle down. The fighting
will be over there in Manhattan now that the Americans have left
this island.”

***

The fighting stopped for over two weeks and
then the British drove the Continental Army out of New York City to
Harlem Heights, a plateau on the northern part of Manhattan Island.
The Continental Army successfully held it, and then the main force
departed to White Plains. Washington had wanted to evacuate Fort
Washington, but a message from Congress in Philadelphia ordered it
to be fully manned and held. A fire broke out in New York City then
and destroyed one fourth of it.

Cosette, Stuart, Rebecca, and the Millhouses
stood on the front lawn watching the smoke of the city billowing,
carried to the south by a cool breeze. Stuart spoke then “Did the
British start that?”

Thelma shook her head and looked around at
everyone saying “No one seems to know how it started, but likely it
was looters, either Hessians or British. But it could have been
patriots. It looks like we were only rid of the British for a short
while after all. We will be under martial law here for a good
while. Stuart, will you accompany our butler and cook to finish
buying our food supplies? Food might be in short supply this winter
after something like this.”

“Yes, ma’am, I will.”

“It is a good thing you thought of that last
month, Aunt Thelma” said Rebecca. “Thanks to you, we have a good
start on storing enough food to get us through the winter.”

Some three days later the Millhouses,
Cosette, Stuart, and Rebecca were all in the central city looking
at the fire damage. They were also getting the last of the supplies
they needed for the winter when they happened upon a public square
and saw a gallows had been constructed there. Charges of spying on
His Majesty’s army were read aloud to those gathered there and the
accused, Nathan Hale was sentenced to death by hanging. He had been
caught with drawings of British fortifications on his person. As
the hangman stood ready to put the hood over Hales’ head, he was
asked if he had any last words.

Hale lifted his head high and spoke loudly,
saying “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my
country.” A hush fell over the crowd at those words and then he was
hanged. Rebecca gasped as did many and then she looked at Cosette
and said “Do you get the significance of what he said?”

“Yes. He refers to this group of colonies as
his country.”

Laura said “That means that the Declaration
of Independence is more than words on paper. It is a living
idea.”

Cosette turned to all of them and said “What
is more unstoppable than an idea whose time has come?”

***

Fort Washington, located in the northwestern
part of Manhattan Island, fell to the Hessians after the
Continental Army was driven away from White Plains. But the
Continental Army was still intact and their core leadership was
intact as well. They retreated through New Jersey to Pennsylvania
as the British celebrated their victories. Ian stayed with them,
hunting and providing meat wherever they were. He had become known
as the very best hunter and provider that they had by now, and was
known as well as one who could speedily deliver a message wherever
it was needed.

He had already been dispatched twice to
Philadelphia to apprise the Congress there of the current state of
affairs with the Army. Even though Washington’s forces had
liberated Boston and driven the British out, this latest string of
losses vexed him. The combined naval and military prowess of the
British Empire was proving to be more than just difficult, and he
chafed at the thought of trying to keep the army together through
the winter when their last several engagements had resulted in them
being driven out. He hated that the Congress had overruled him in
ordering Fort Washington to stay manned and regretted the loss of
the men there as well. Ian realized the great pressure that the man
was under and sympathized with him. It weighed on him as he
returned with a dispatch late in December.

Delivering it to Washington’s adjutant, Ian
went to see Henry Knox and told him that he was going down to
Trenton to see what the Hessians were about, and to get an
estimation of their numbers. Being that Christmas was near, Knox
said to go ahead and that he would tell anyone looking for Ian that
he was reconnoitering, which was true.

The temperature had dropped considerably and
it had been cold for the entire month, below freezing every single
day and night. Ian crossed the river, leaping from ice floe to ice
floe and falling in once. On the east side he rocketed to the
south, easily avoiding pickets and was approaching the Hessian
lines at dusk on the 25
^th
of December. As he stealthily
glided into the outer perimeter of their camp, he noticed a lower
than usual number of sentries. There were several places where the
sound of music could be heard and shortly Ian realized that the
Hessians were celebrating Christmas.

Slipping into an officer’s tent unseen, he
stole a saber and sheath, and after circling the encampment
entirely, he realized that the place was reasonably open for an
attack. Soon he had crossed the Delaware River once again, leaping
from ice floe to Ice floe some six times. Rocketing north as fast
as he could go, he eluded the Continental Army pickets easily and
the sentries as well, arriving in camp less than fifteen minutes
after crossing the river. Maintaining vampire speed he never slowed
until near the center of the encampment, and had begun to come into
the light of campfires and torches.

He went directly to Washington’s tent and
announced himself, waiting on the guard to return. He was shown in
then and saw that a small meeting was in progress. Stepping boldly
forward he said “I have important information for you right now,
General Washington.”

Washington turned to him and said “You are
the hunter…… McCloud, isn’t it? What is it, man?”

Ian was impressed by the way Washington
fixed his eyes on him. There was an indefinable quality about the
man, the demeanor of a natural leader was apparent. “Sir, I have
been inside of the Hessian camp at Trenton this eve and I tell you
they are celebrating Christmas and are open for an attack as we
speak.” Here Ian set down his ruck sack and produced the saber he
had stolen, saying “I took this from one of their tents before I
came here.” It fell silent as those in the tent looked unbelievably
at the Hessian saber. The rain that had started to fall began to
turn to sleet and the difference of the sound of it striking the
tent was noticeable in the stillness inside.

Washington took a couple of steps toward Ian
then peering intently at him as he took the saber and passed it to
another of the generals there. He said “Go on.”

“Sir, if we cross the river and march all
night, we could be there in the morning. I make it at ten miles or
less.”

“What is their strength?”

“Many of them are in houses in Trenton. I
would be guessing between thirteen hundred to seventeen hundred
men. They do have pickets a few miles to the north of Trenton, but
I did not see any patrols.”

Washington said “We make it at nine miles.
You have only confirmed what we already suspected, Mr. McCloud. In
fact we are ready to start within the hour.”