General Clinton took up a position in New York, and Washington occupied his old camp at White Plains. The campaign for the conquest of the Middle States had ended where it began, but with the tables turned. Then the British were chasing the Americans out of New York; now the Americans were chasing the British into New York. For the next two years each commander watched the other, and when possible sent reënforcements to armies in other portions of the country.

WINNING OUR FIRST WESTERN BOUNDARY

232. Wyoming and Cherry Valley Massacres (1778). While Washington was watching Clinton in New York the war went on in many other places. The Tories of western New York were burning to be revenged for

DANIEL BOONE

From a portrait made in 1819 when Boone was 85 years old, painted by Chester Harding, and now in the possession of

the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, Massachusetts

being driven from their homes ($214). A combined force of Tories and Indians fell upon the defenseless inhabitants of the beautiful Wyoming Valley, in northeastern Pennsylvania, and burned, tortured, and murdered to their hearts' content. Most of the men of this region. were serving under Washington. The inhuman enemy was commanded by a Tory, Colonel John Butler. In the same year a similar massacre was committed in Cherry Valley, New York, by the Tories and Indians under the celebrated chief, Joseph Brant.

These awful events stirred

the country, and the next year Washington sent General Sullivan with five thousand men to punish the enemy.

Where Elmira now stands he completely overthrew both Butler and Brant and then turned upon the Indians, laying waste their farms and homes. During the cold winter starvation and disease followed, and the power of the hostile portion of the Six Nations was completely broken.

233. Kentucky and Tennessee in the Revolution. In 1775 Daniel Boone, with hardy pioneers from North Carolina, had settled Boonesboro, Kentucky. When the news from Lexington and Concord crossed the mountains, it found a hearty answer from these bold frontiersmen. They organized a militia, sent a delegate to Congress, and named one

of their towns Lexington. They were soon at war with the Indians who were helping the British.

North Carolina furnished most of the early pioneers who settled Tennessee. James Robertson led the way to founding a settlement on the Watauga River, and later, with John Sevier, defeated the Cherokee Indians at that point.

mond, Virginia

234. George Rogers Clark Makes the Mississippi River our Western Boundary. Partly to protect these young settlements, but mainly to overthrow the power of the British in the "Northwest," George Rogers Clark, a young Virginia scout, planned and carried out one of the most important expeditions of the war. With the approval of Governor Patrick Henry he secretly

collected about one hundred and fifty men and a few families. They descended the Ohio from Pittsburg to the Falls of the Ohio. Here the families settled, but Clark and his men floated down to the Tennessee, and then marched across the country, took possession of the French towns in southern Illinois, made friends with the Spaniards at St. Louis, and prepared for their great task, the capture of Vincennes, on the Wabash, the most important British post in the Ohio Valley.

The British general, Hamilton, at Detroit, marched

THE GEORGE ROGERS CLARK EXPEDITION

The result of this expedition was to make the Mississippi River the western boundary at the close of the Revolutionary War

five hundred men to the relief of Vincennes. Clark and his men made their way across country, often wading for miles up to their arms in water. He completely surprised the British general and frightened him into surrendering. The power of the British in the West

was thus broken, and the entire country to the Mississippi River was in our possession when the war closed.

IRREGULAR WARFARE ON LAND AND SEA

235. Plundering Expeditions; Stony Point and Paulus Hook (1779). The failure of their two great campaigns, and our treaty with France, made the British desperate. Not able to accomplish great things, they turned their attention to robbing and burning towns in New England, New Jersey, and Virginia.

Washington had already strongly fortified West Point, but to make the upper Hudson more secure, the Americans built forts on opposite sides of the river at Stony and Verplanck's points. Before the fort at Stony Point was finished, the British captured it. It must be recaptured, and "Mad Anthony" Wayne was the man for the deed. Twelve hundred picked men, trained by Steuben, with empty guns and fixed bayonets, charged up the steep sides of Stony Point at midnight (July 15, 1779) and that powerful fortress was ours again.

Paulus Hook, now a part of Jersey City, is a narrow neck extending out into the Hudson. The British had fortified this point strongly and sent frequent foraging expeditions among the Jersey farmers. Henry Lee, "Light Horse Harry," gallantly led a small force of chosen men and captured the garrison.

236. Arnold's Treason. Benedict Arnold had proved himself one of the best and bravest officers of the American army. He won the complete confidence of Washington, but Congress was too short-sighted to give him the position he wanted. Finally, Washington put him in command of Philadelphia. Here he lived very expensively and married a charming Tory lady.

But charges of misconduct were brought against him, and Arnold was reprimanded. Eager for revenge, he requested and received the command of West Point,

the key to the Hudson. He then planned to betray the place into British hands. The plot failed only by the capture of Major André, the British officer sent to arrange for the surrender. Arnold himself escaped, but André was hanged as a spy. Later Arnold was rewarded by being made a general in the English army, but his last days were full of bitterness and sorrow.

237. Weakness of the American Navy. The navy of Great Britain was the most powerful in the world. That America had no war vessels when the war began was a great disadvantage. England held ports like New York against large armies, and transported her troops to distant points without fighting a battle. If defeated in one place, she went by sea to another. If supplies were not to be had in America, they could be had in Europe.

From the beginning of the war, Congress felt the need of a navy. In 1775 thirteen fast-sailing war vessels were ordered built, but before these were ready eight refitted merchant vessels sailed from Philadelphia to prey on British commerce in the West Indies. Congress

issued to private persons "letters of marque and reprisal," which gave them the right to fit out ships, to attack the enemy's vessels, and to do whatever regular men-of-war might do. Such vessels were called privateers. Without these letters their crews would THE "RATTLESNAKE FLAG have been treated as pirates. First flag carried by privateers The privateers did good work, and to some extent took the place of a navy. Captain John Barry distinguished himself for bravery, for which afterward (1794) he was made ranking commander in the navy.