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Eugene O'Neill - "The First Man"

The Brothers Grimm - "Grimms' Fairy Tales"

Mark Twain - "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven"

Sam Vaknin - "The Belgian Curtain"

The Dare Boys of 1776

S >> Stephen Angus Cox >> The Dare Boys of 1776




The British army now advanced till in front of Brooklyn Heights, but
it did not attempt to storm the defenses. Doubtless General Howe
remembered Bunker Hill, and felt that a repetition of that experience
would be disastrous to the king's cause.

General Washington sent over two thousand more soldiers, from New
York, which made the force ten thousand strong within the patriot
works of Brooklyn Heights, and he was positive, as was General Putnam
also, that the Heights could be held, that if the British made an
attack it would be disastrous for them.

The action of General Howe showed that he thought so too, for instead
of getting ready to attack, he stretched his force around the Heights,
from the East River on the north to the East River again, on the
south, in a semicircle, and it was plain that his intention was to
establish a siege.

General Washington realized at once that it would not do to stay on
Brooklyn Heights, under such circumstances, for if the British fleet
were to come up the East River and cut off the patriot army's retreat
in that direction, the only result possible would be the surrender of
the Continental army on the Heights. As he had no intention of
surrendering, he decided to evacuate the position, and that night all
the boats that could be gathered together were secured and the patriot
army was removed across the river to New York. Also all the arms,
ammunitions, provisions of every kind, and the heavy artillery, were
ferried over. Nothing was left, and when next morning the British
looked up at the works on the Heights, they were amazed to see no
signs of life there-for so silently and cautiously had the patriots
worked during the night that the British had not gotten an inkling of
the movement. The redcoats pushed up the hill, and climbed over the
works, only to stare around in dismay. Nothing was left of the big
army that had been there only the evening before.

This achievement of General Washington, this wonderful feat of
withdrawing an entire army of ten thousand men, with all the arms,
including heavy artillery, and the ammunitions and provisions from
right under the very nose of the enemy, and without the enemy even
suspecting what was going on, will always be considered one of the
greatest triumphs of generalship the world has ever known. This feat,
when it became known in England, caused some of the greatest soldiers,
and generals, and over in Europe as well, to shake their heads and
declare that General Washington was a commander who would cause the
British a great deal of trouble. And after events proved that they
were right in their prophecies.

General Putnam must have told General Washington about Dick Dare
having carried a message practically through the lines of the British,
to General Stirling, during the battle of Long Island, for the
commander-in-chief, happening to see Dick the day after the army took
up quarters in New York, spoke to him about the matter, and
complimented him on having successfully delivered the message, thus
probably saving Stirling's force from capture.

To say that Dick was well pleased at receiving words of praise from
the lips of the commander-in-chief is stating it mildly. And when he
told Tom and Ben what General Washington had said, they were well
pleased also, and declared that the commander-in-chief should have
cause to be satisfied with all three of them many times before the end
of the war, and, as friends will find, if they read the succeeding
volume of the Dare Boys Series, which will be entitled, "The Dare Boys
on The Hudson," the brothers kept their word, and performed many, many
wonderful deeds of daring while fighting for Liberty.

The British commander-in-chief now put in a week trying to get the
patriot commander-in-chief to agree to peace, he stating that the king
would make certain concessions, but as in accordance with the
Declaration of Independence this was not to be thought of for a
moment, the interviews came to naught, and so the British
commander-in-chief began making preparations to continue the war. His
next move, undoubtedly would be to capture New York City, and General
Washington knew this would be an easy matter, so he made preparations
to retreat to Harlem Heights, on the banks of the Hudson at the north
end of Manhattan Island, where he would occupy a strategic position.

On the fifteenth of September the British made the move that was
expected. Warships from Admiral Howe's fleet ascended the Hudson river
as far as Bloomingdale, and the East River as far as Blackwell's
Island, and while they bombarded the north end of the island, General
Howe brought his army across from Brooklyn in boats, and landed at
Kipp's Bay, near what is now the foot of 34th Street.

General Washington came down from the Heights with two brigades of
patriot soldiers, with the purpose of holding the British in check
long enough for General Putnam to evacuate the lower part of the city
with the four thousand soldiers under him at that point. This was
accomplished, and when Putnam and his men were safe on the Heights,
the two brigades retired to the Heights also. The British then took
possession of New York City, and so the two armies lay, the
Continental on the Heights and the British in the city, confronting
each other, on Manhattan Island.

It was an interesting situation, and especially so to Dick and Tom
Dare and Ben Foster, who were now just beginning to feel that they
were soldiers in the patriot army.

One evening, a few days after the British took possession of New York
and the patriots took up their station on Harlem Heights, the
commander-in-chief of the patriot army made the soldiers a stirring
speech, as they were assembled at the center of the encampment, saying
that he expected each and every soldier to do his full duty, and
support the cause of Liberty with his life if need be. The speech made
a great impression on Dick, Tom and Ben, and when they went to their
quarters, they were enthusiastic about it.

"I'll tell you what, boys," said Tom Dare, "it was wonderful, the way
General Washington talked, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Tom," agreed Dick, "and we'll come up to his expectations, too,
or know the reason why."

And in enthusiastic unison Tom and Ben exclaimed:

"Yes, yes! That we will, Dick!"

And when the time came, they kept their word.

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