Free Spirit of the Revolution by Debbie Peterson Page B

the present appearance of things) the Enemy’s left flank, and particularly in case of any movement of the Enemy you are instantly to fall upon their flanks and gall them as much as possible, taking especial Care not to be surrounded, or have your retreat to the Army cut off.
    I have sent for Spears, which I expect shortly to receive and deliver to you, as a Defense against Horse; till you are furnished with these, take care not to be caught in such a situation as to give them any advantage over you. It occurs to me that if you were to dress a Company or two of true Woods Men in the right Indian Style, and let them make the attack accompanied with screaming and yelling as Indians do, it would have very good consequences especially if as little as possible is said, or known of the Matter beforehand.’”
    Jo glanced up for a moment and said, “The book goes on to say that just eleven days later, Washington ordered some of his officers and guardsmen to—”
    “Meet up with Colonel Morgan’s men,” Sam finished for her. “And do all in our power to impede Howe’s army there in New Jersey. I remember that order. The suggestion to play Indian calls to mind the battle at Short Hills, doesn’t it lads? And the general didn’t even have to ask.”
    The comment ignited the now familiar snickers from her boys. Sam nudged Jedediah and winked. He laughed in return. She put the book down on the desk and sniffed. “Okay, guys, you can’t leave me hanging like that,” she said. “You have my full attention now, so—tell me about the battle.”
    Mathias said, “Well, that particular battle ensued because of Howe’s desire to draw Washington’s forces away from our encampment at Middlebrook. You need to understand the Redcoats greatly outnumbered us at the time. Not only were we smaller in number, most of our men had the barest of necessities. As you can imagine, our armaments for such a battle were sadly lacking. Hence, the reason Washington said he would send us some spears.
    “On the other hand, the Redcoats had fine weapons and ample supplies, provided by King George. Therefore, Howe hoped he could force our side out on the open plain. If successful, we would suffer a defeat under his hand that would further demoralize our army.”
    “Yes, indeed,” William cut in. “But of course, Howe’s plans didn’t dupe General Washington. He countered by sending part of his elite guard and part of our company to harass the enemy and cut off their retreat. At that time we served under Lord Stirling’s command and he assigned us the duty of guarding Washington’s left flank.”
    “In going about our duties, our unit happened across a body of Redcoat grenadiers, resting beside this little stream,” Alexander said. “Mathias wanted to round them up before they caused any trouble. So, he had Jedediah smear some mud on his face, arms, and chest, run through the bushes at full speed and whoop it up just as his Indian friends taught him. The tactic worked like a charm.”
    While the lads laughed over the shared memory, Jo looked at each of them and shook her head in confusion. “Mathias, you had the blue-eyed blond, the fairest among you, play an Indian? Wouldn’t you have been the better choice?”
    Mathias shrugged. “Jedediah could handle the job better than all the rest of us put together. Believe me when I tell you, his wicked war cries can scare the darkest devil out of the most seasoned warrior. Trust me. The Redcoats didn’t take time to assess his heritage.”
    “While Jedediah performed his patriotic duty, which you would really need to see in order to fully appreciate,” Sam said, “the rest of us laid down ropes about ankle high. When the Lobsterbacks ran for cover, we laid them down flat. The trick is an old one, but one that worked as intended.”
    “As a result, our eleven men subdued thirty-eight grenadiers, despite their light infantry, which was camped a short distance away,” added Jedediah.
    “Well,