seventy yards over, and Philadelphia, with the American magazines,
taken, had not the pontoons been improvidently left at New York as
useless. Any one of these movements, it was thought, might have been
attended with the total destruction of the American army. For some
reason, however, which it is impossible to divine, the Commander-in-
Chief employed himself for several days in making slight movements
which could not by any possibility produce any important benefits to
the British cause."




CHAPTER XI.


WASHINGTON HOLDS HOWE IN CHECK. 1777.


Washington seems to have been by no means disheartened at the loss of
Philadelphia. On the contrary he justly regarded the circumstance of
the enemy holding that city as one which might, as in the sequel it
actually did, turn to the advantage of the American cause. Writing to
General Trumbull on the 1st of October (1777), he says: "You will hear,
before this gets to hand, that the enemy have at length gained
possession of Philadelphia. Many unavoidable difficulties and unlucky
accidents which we had to encounter helped to promote this success.
This is an event which we have reason to wish had not happened, and
which will be attended with several ill consequences, but I hope it
will not be so detrimental as many apprehend, and that a little time
and perseverance will give us some favorable opportunity of recovering