3
So the two friends were enlisted and began service in the army ofWashington.
A letter from Jack to his mother dated July 25, 1775, is full of thecamp color:
"General Charles Lee is in command of my regiment," he writes. "He isa rough, slovenly old dog of a man who seems to bark at us on thetraining ground. He has two or three hunting dogs that live with himin his tent and also a rare gift of profanity which is with himeverywhere--save at headquarters.
"To-day I saw these notices posted in camp:
"'Punctual attendance on divine service is required of all not onactual duty.'
"'No burning of the pope allowed.'
"'Fifteen stripes for denying duty.'
"'Ten for getting drunk.'
"'Thirty-nine for stealing and desertion.'
"Rogues are put in terror, lazy men are energized. The quarters arekept clean, the food is well cooked and in plentiful supply, but theBritish over in town are said to be getting hungry."
Early in August a London letter was forwarded to Jack fromPhiladelphia. He was filled with new hope as he read these lines:
"Dearest Jack: I am sailing for Boston on one of the next troop shipsto join my father. So when the war ends--God grant it may besoon!--you will not have far to go to find me. Perhaps by Christmastime we may be together. Let us both pray for that. Meanwhile, Ishall be happier for being nearer you and for doing what I can to healthe wounds made by this wretched war. I am going to be a nurse in ahospital. You see the truth is that since I met you, I like all menbetter, and I shall love to be trying to relieve their sufferings . . ."
It was a long letter but above is as much of it as can claim admissionto these pages.
"Who but she could write such a letter?" Jack asked himself, and thenhe held it to his lips a moment. It thrilled him to think that eventhen she was probably in Boston. In the tent where he and Solomonlived when they were both in camp, he found the scout. The nightbefore Solomon had slept out. Now he had built a small fire in frontof the tent and lain down on a blanket, having delivered his report atheadquarters.
"Margaret is in Boston," said Jack as soon as he entered, and thenstanding in the firelight read the letter to his friend.
"Thar is a real, genewine, likely gal," said the scout.
"I wish there were some way of getting to her," the young man remarked.
"Might as well think o' goin' to hell an' back ag'in," said Solomon."Since Bunker Hill the British are like a lot o' hornets. I run on toone of 'em to-day. He fired at me an' didn't hit a thing but the airan' run like a scared rabbit. Could 'a' killed him easy but I kind o'enjoyed seein' him run. He were like chain lightnin' on a greasedpole--you hear to me."
"If the General will let me, I'm going to try spy duty and see if I canget into town and out again," he proposed.
"You keep out o' that business," said Solomon. "They's too many thatknow ye over in town. The two Clarkes an' their friends an' ColonelHare an' his friends, an' Cap. Preston, an' a hull passle. They knowall 'bout ye. If you got snapped, they'd stan' ye ag'in' a wall an'put ye out o' the way quick. It would be pie for the Clarkes, an' theol' man Hare wouldn't spill no tears over it. Cap. Preston couldn'tsave ye that's sart'in. No, sir, I won't 'low it. They's plenty o'old cusses fer such work."
For a time Jack abandoned the idea, but later, when Solomon failed toreturn from a scouting tour and a report reached camp that he wascaptured, the young man began to think of that rather romantic planagain. He had grown a full beard; his skin was tanned; his clotheswere worn and torn and faded. His father, who had visited the campbringing a supply of clothes for his son, had failed, at first, torecognize him.
December had arrived. The General was having his first great trial inkeeping an army about him. Terms of enlistment were expiring. Coldweather had come. The camp was uncomfortable. Regiments of thehomesick lads of New England were leaving or preparing to leave. Jackand a number of young ministers in the service organized a campaign ofpersuasion and many were prevailed upon to reenlist. But hundreds ofboys were hurrying homeward on the frozen roads. The southernriflemen, who were a long journey from their homes, had not the liketemptation to break away. Bitter rivalry arose between the boys of thenorth and the south. The latter, especially the Virginia lads, were inhandsome uniforms. They looked down upon the awkward, homespun ranksin the regiments of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Thencame the famous snowball battle between the boys of Virginia and NewEngland. In the midst of it, Washington arrived and, leaping from hiswhite horse, was quickly in the thick of the fight. He seized a coupleof Virginia lads and gave them a shaking.
"No more of this," he commanded.
It was all over in a moment. The men were running toward theirquarters.
"There is a wholesome regard here for the Commander-in-Chief," Jackwrote to his mother. "I look not upon his heroic figure without athought of the great burden which rests upon it and a thrill ofemotion. There are many who fear him. Most severely he will punishthe man who neglects his duty, but how gentle and indulgent he can be,especially to a new recruit, until the latter has learned the game ofwar! He is like a good father to these thousands of boys and youngmen. No soldier can be flogged when he is near. If he sees a fellowtied to the halberds, he will ask about his offense and order him to betaken down. In camp his black servant, Bill, is always with him. Outof camp he has an escort of light horse. Morning and evening he holdsdivine service in his tent. When a man does a brave act, the Chiefsummons him to headquarters and gives him a token of his appreciation.I hope to be called one of these days."
Soon after this letter was written, the young man was sent for. He andhis company had captured a number of men in a skirmish.
"Captain, you have done well," said the General. "I want to make ascout of you. In our present circumstances it's about the mostimportant, dangerous and difficult work there is to be done here,especially the work which Solomon Binkus undertook to do. There is noother in whom I should have so much confidence."
"You do me great honor," said Jack. "I shall make a poor showingcompared with that of my friend Major Binkus, but I have some knowledgeof his methods and will do my best."
"You will do well to imitate them with caution," said the General. "Hewas a most intrepid and astute observer. In the bush they would nothave captured him. The clearings toward the sea make the work arduousand full of danger. It is only for men of your strength and courage.Major Bartlett knows the part of the line which Colonel Binkustraversed. He will be going out that way to-morrow. I should likeyou, sir, to go with him. After one trip I shall be greatly pleased ifyou are capable of doing the work alone."
Orders were delivered and Jack reported to Bartlett, an agreeable,middle-aged farmer-soldier, who had been on scout duty since July.They left camp together next morning an hour before reveille. They hadan uneventful day, mostly in wooded flats and ridges, and from thelatter looking across with a spy-glass into Bruteland, as they calledthe country held by the British, and seeing only, now and then, anenemy picket or distant camps. About midday they sat down in a thickettogether for a bite to eat and a whispered conference.
"Binkus, as you know, had his own way of scouting," said the Major."He was an Indian fighter. He liked to get inside the enemy lines andlie close an' watch 'em an' mebbe hear what they were talking about.Now an' then he would surprise a British sentinel and disarm him an'bring him into camp."
Jack wondered that his friend had never spoken of the capture ofprisoners.
"He was a modest man," said the young scout.
"He didn't want the British to know where Solomon Binkus was at work,and I guess he was wise," said the Major. "I advise you against takingthe chances that he took. It isn't necessary. You would be caughtmuch sooner than he was."
That day Bartlett took Jack over Solomon's trail and gave him the layof the land and much good advice. A young man of Jack's spirit,however, is apt to hav
e a degree of enterprise and self-confidence noteasily controlled by advice. He had been traveling alone for threedays when he felt the need of more exciting action. That night hecrossed the Charles River on the ice in a snow-storm and captured asentinel and brought him back to camp.
About this time he wrote another letter to the family, in which he said:
"The boys are coming back from home and reenlisting. They have notbeen paid--no one has been paid--but they are coming back. More ofthem are coming than went away.
"They all tell one story. The women and the old men made a row abouttheir being at home in time of war. On Sunday the minister called themshirks. Everybody looked askance at them. A committee of girls wentfrom house to house reenlisting the boys. So here they are, andWashington has an army, such as it is."