“Then Baylor rode up to Washington and announced, ’Sir, the Hessians have surrendered.’”

“Baylor?” repeated Walter.  “Who was he, mamma?”

“One of Washington’s aids,” she replied.  “In the first year of the war he was made an aid-de-camp to General Washington and in that capacity was with him in this battle.”

“How I envy him!” exclaimed Lulu.

“I do think that if I’d been a man living in those days,” said Walter, “I’d have cared for no greater honor than being aid to our Washington.”

His mother’s only reply was a proudly affectionate look and smile as she went on with her story.

“There was another regiment, under Knyphausen, which had been ordered to cover the flank.  These tried to reach the Assanpink bridge, but lost time in an effort to get two cannon out of the morass, and when they reached the bridge the Americans were guarding it on both sides.  They tried to ford the river, but without success, and presently surrendered to Lord Stirling, with the privilege of keeping their swords and their private baggage.  That ended the battle, leaving the Americans with nearly a thousand prisoners in their hands.

“Over two hundred of the Hessians had escaped—­some to Princeton, others to Bordentown.  There were a hundred and thirty absent, having been sent out on some expedition, and seventeen were killed.  The battle had lasted thirty-five minutes, and the Americans had not lost a man.”

“It was wonderful, I think!” said Evelyn, in her earnest way; “certainly God helped our patriotic forefathers or they never could have succeeded in their conflict with so powerful a foe as Great Britain was even then.”

“It was all of God’s great goodness to this land and people,” said Grandma Elsie.  “Had there been in that action defeat to our arms instead of victory, we would not—­so soon at least—­have become the free and powerful nation we are to-day.  Congress lavished praise upon General Washington, but he replied, ’You pay me compliments as if the merit of the affair was due solely to me; but I assure you the other general officers who assisted me in the plan and execution have full as good a right to the encomiums as myself.’”

“Possibly that was only just,” remarked Rosie, “but it strikes me as very generous.”

“It was just like Washington,” said Walter; “our Washington!  I’m ever so proud of him!”

“As we all are,” said his mother; “but we must not forget to give the glory of that victory, and all others, and also of our final success, to him who is the God of battles, and by whose strength and help our freedom was won.  As Bancroft says, ’Until that hour the life of the United States flickered like a dying flame,’ but God had appeared for their deliverance and from that time the hopes of the almost despairing people revived, while the confident expectations of their enemies were dashed to the ground.  Lord George Germain exclaimed after he heard the news, ‘All our hopes were blasted by the unhappy affair at Trenton.’”