Hero Tales From American History | Page 4

C. Lodge.
THE BURNING OF THE "PHILADELPHIA"--H. C. Lodge.
THE CRUISE OF THE "WASP"--Theodore Roosevelt.
THE "GENERAL ARMSTRONG" PRIVATEER--Theodore
Roosevelt.
THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS--Theodore Roosevelt.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS AND THE RIGHT OF PETITION--H. C.
Lodge.
FRANCIS PARKMAN--H. C. Lodge.
"REMEMBER THE ALAMO"--Theodore Roosevelt.
HAMPTON ROADS--Theodore Roosevelt.
THE FLAG-BEARER--Theodore Roosevelt.
THE DEATH OF STONEWALL JACK--Theodore Roosevelt.
THE CHARGE AT GETTYSBURG--Theodore Roosevelt.
GENERAL GRANT AND THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN--H. C.
Lodge.
ROBERT GOULD SHAW--H. C. Lodge.
CHARLES RUSSELL LOWELL--H. C. Lodge.
SHERIDAN AT CEDAR CREEK--H. C. Lodge.
LIEUTENANT CUSHING AND THE RAM
"ALBEMARLE"--Theodore Roosevelt.
FARRAGUT AT MOBILE BAY--Theodore Roosevelt.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN--H. C. Lodge.

"Hor. I saw him once; he was a goodly king. Ham. He was a man, take
him for all in all I shall not look upon his like again." --Hamlet

HERO TALES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY

WASHINGTON
The brilliant historian of the English people* has written of
Washington, that "no nobler figure ever stood in the fore-front of a
nation's life." In any book which undertakes to tell, no matter how
slightly, the story of some of the heroic deeds of American history, that
noble figre must always stand in the fore-front. But to sketch the life of
Washington even in the barest outline is to write the history of the
events which made the United States independent and gave birth to the
American nation. Even to give alist of what he did, to name his battles
and recount his acts as president, would be beyond the limit and the
scope of this book. Yet it is always possible to recall the man and to
consider what he was and what he meant for us and for mankind He is
worthy the study and the remembrance of all men, and to Americans he
is at once a great glory of their past and an inspiration and an assurance
of their future.
*John Richard Green.
To understand Washington at all we must first strip off all the myths
which have gathered about him. We must cast aside into the dust-heaps
all the wretched inventions of the cherry-tree variety, which were
fastened upon him nearly seventy years after his birth. We must look at
him as he looked at life and the facts about him, without any illusion or
deception, and no man in history can better stand such a scrutiny.
Born of a distinguished family in the days when the American colonies
were still ruled by an aristocracy, Washington started with all that good
birth and tradition could give. Beyond this, however, he had little. His
family was poor, his mother was left early a widow, and he was forced
after a very limited education to go out into the world to fight for
himself He had strong within him the adventurous spirit of his race. He
became a surveyor, and in the pursuit of this profession plunged into
the wilderness, where he soon grew to be an expert hunter and
backwoodsman. Even as a boy the gravity of his character and his

mental and physical vigor commended him to those about him, and
responsibility and military command were put in his hands at an age
when most young men are just leaving college. As the times grew
threatening on the frontier, he was sent on a perilous mission to the
Indians, in which, after passing through many hardships and dangers,
he achieved success. When the troubles came with France it was by the
soldiers under his command that the first shots were fired in the war
which was to determine whether the North American continent should
be French or English. In his earliest expedition he was defeated by the
enemy. Later he was with Braddock, and it was he who tried, to rally
the broken English army on the stricken field near Fort Duquesne. On
that day of surprise and slaughter he displayed not only cool courage
but the reckless daring which was one of his chief characteristics. He so
exposed himself that bullets passed through his coat and hat, and the
Indians and the French who tried to bring him down thought he bore a
charmed life. He afterwards served with distinction all through the
French war, and when peace came he went back to the estate which he
had inherited from his brother, the most admired man in Virginia.
At that time he married, and during the ensuing years he lived the life
of a Virginia planter, successful in his private affairs and serving the
public effectively but quietly as a member of the House of Burgesses.
When the troubles with the mother country began to thicken he was
slow to take extreme ground, but he never wavered in his belief that all
attempts to oppress the colonies should be resisted, and when he once
took up his