[Illustration: The War in the Middle States.]
In order to save himself and his men from the enemy, Washington had to
retreat once more, this time across New Jersey toward Philadelphia. With
the British army, in every way stronger than his own, close upon him, it
was a race for life. Sometimes there was only a burning bridge, which the
rear-guard of the Americans had set on fire, between the fleeing forces
and the pursuing army.
To make things worse, Washington saw his own army becoming smaller every
day, because the men whose term of enlistment had expired were leaving to
go to their homes. When he reached the Delaware River he had barely three
thousand men left.
Here again Washington showed a master-stroke of genius. Having collected
boats for seventy miles along the river, he succeeded in getting his army
safely across at a place a little above Trenton. As the British had no
boats, they had to come to a halt. In their usual easy way, they decided
to wait until the river should freeze, when--as they thought--they would
cross in triumph and make a speedy capture of Philadelphia.
To most people in England and in America alike, the early downfall of the
American cause seemed certain.
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