A Soldier of Virginia | Page 7

yourselves.'
"The order was given, and the French ranks fell as grain before the
sickle. They gave way, the Coldstreams advancing in perfect order,
firing volley after volley. The officers, with their rattans, turned the
men's muskets to the right or left, as need demanded. Nothing could

stop that terrible approach, resistless as a whirlwind, and French and
Swiss broke themselves against it, only to be dashed back as spray
from a rocky coast. Regiment after regiment was repulsed, and the
Coldstreams still advanced. Saxe thought the battle lost, and begged the
king and the dauphin to flee while time permitted. At the last desperate
moment, he rallied the artillery and all the forces of his army for a final
effort. The artillery was massed before the English, and they had none
to answer it. The king himself led the charge against their flanks, which
the Dutch should have protected. But the Dutch preferred to remain
safely in the rear. The Coldstreams stood their ground, reforming their
ranks with perfect coolness, until Cumberland saw it were madness to
remain, and ordered the retreat. And it was more glorious than the
advance. With only half their number on their feet, they faced about,
without disorder, their ranks steady and unwavering, and moved off
sullenly and slowly, as though ready at any moment to turn again and
rend the ranks of the victors. It was a deed to match Thermopylae."
I lifted my hat from my head, and my lips were trembling.
"I salute them," I said. "'T was well done. And was General Braddock
present on that day?"
"He commanded one battalion of the regiment. It was for his gallantry
there that he was promoted to the senior majorship."
"I shall not forget it." And then I added, "Perhaps the story you have
told me will give me greater patience with our drill-master."
"I trust so, at least," said Washington, with a smile; "else I fear there
will be little peace for you in the army. I was affected by the story, Tom,
no less than you have been, but after I had left the hall, with its glamour
of lights and gold lace and brilliant uniforms, I wondered if this
discipline would count amid the forests of the Ohio as it did on the
plains of Europe. I fancy, in the battle that is to come, there will be no
question of who shall fire first, and a regiment which keeps its
formation will be a fair mark for the enemy. Do you know, Tom, my
great hope is that the French will send a scouting party of their Indian
allies to ambush us, and that in defeating them, our commander may

learn something of the tactics which he must follow to defeat the
French."
As for myself, I confess I shared none of these forebodings, and
welcomed the chance to turn our talk to a more cheerful subject.
"But about yourself?" I questioned. "There is much I wish to know.
Until your note reached me, I had not heard a word from you since you
rode away from Mount Vernon with Dinwiddie's messenger."
His face cleared, and he looked at me with a little smile.
"We went direct to Williamsburg," he said, "where I first met the
general, and told him what I know about the country which he has to
cross. He treated me most civilly, despite some whisperings which
went on behind my back, and shortly after sent me a courteous
invitation to serve on his staff. Of course I accepted,--you know how it
irked me to remain at home,--but I gave him at the same time a
statement of my reason for quitting the Virginia service,--that I could
not consent to be outranked by every subaltern who held a commission
from the king."
I nodded, for the question was not new to me, and had already caused
me much heart-burning. It was not until long afterwards that I saw the
general's letter among Mrs. Washington's treasures at Mount Vernon,
but it seems to me worthy of reproduction here. Thus it ran:--
WILLIAMSBURG, 2 March, 1755.
Sir,--The General having been informed that you expressed some desire
to make the campaign, but that you declined it upon some
disagreeableness that you thought might arise from the regulations of
command, has ordered me to acquaint you that he will be very glad of
your company in his family, by which all inconveniences of that kind
will be obviated.
I shall think myself very happy to form an acquaintance with a person
so universally esteemed, and shall use every opportunity of assuring

you how much I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
ROBERT ORME, Aide-de-Camp.
Had Braddock heeded the advice of the man whom he asked to join his
family, the event might