Guns for General Washington by Seymour Reit

marines. Then other ships had arrived from the Bay of Fundy in Canada, carrying hay and grain for the horses. But the
real
supply convoy, the one he’d been counting on, had met with disaster. Twenty-six ships had left Plymouth, England, bound for Boston Harbor. They carried thousands of redcoats as well as cannons, powder, food, and muskets—everything the general was waiting for. Then in midocean the convoy sailed into a hurricane. The ships were scattered and blown off course, and they wound up far to the south in the British West Indies.
    During the storm many soldiers were lost and ships were damaged. Some had escaped without too much harm; but it would take a long time for these ships to be refitted, then to beat their way north in the middle of winter.
    Adding to Howe’s problems, he had to deal with the cursed little ships called privateers. These weren’t part of an official navy, but the rebel congress allowed them to capture any British vessels that came their way. To the colonists the raiders were heroes, but to General Howe the armed privateers were plain pirates—lawless ships that stole out of port and attacked his merchantmen, then took cover in the many bays and inlets of New England. The privateers not only captured Howe’s cargoes, but then escaped to shallow waters where his warships couldn’t follow.
    All in all, 1775 had been a black year for Sir William—a year filled with trouble. But the secret dispatch that had just arrived gave him hope. According to this message a new supply fleet was being assembled, even larger than the last. After the start of the new year, this convoy would cross the Atlantic with the reinforcements he needed. In a neat, flowery hand the secretary of the admiralty had promised Howe forty thousand troops plus enough weapons to carry out all his plans . . . for 1776, and up to May of 1777.”
    The general returned to his cabin to study his maps. He could rely on the admiralty. If the weather behaved, the transports and supply ships would arrive soon. Then, with a powerful new force, he would strike. He was tired of the stale
mate. Tired of the inactivity. Tired of the fool rebels with their prattle about “freedom” and “liberty.”
    Sir William Howe could hardly wait to crush Washington and the colonial army once and for all.

14
Dangerous Ice
    Henry and his men spent the first day of 1776 trying to strengthen the ice on the Mohawk. To begin with, they laid out the shortest route across the river. Then at certain spots the men chopped holes through the ice. Water gushed up from these holes and flowed across the surface. In the cold wintry air the water froze quickly, adding a new layer of ice to what was there before.
    The crew did this several times until the ice had built up and thickened. Now it was stronger—but would it be strong enough? Will stepped out onto the river. He walked up and down, frowning. “It
might
hold the big loads,” he said to his brother, “but I’m not powerful sure.”
    Henry shrugged. “We won’t know until we try. But we’ll move the guns one at a time, starting with the lightest. Tell the drivers that
no
team is to go until the one before is safe on the other side.”
    The colonel had a long rope tied to the front of each sled and wagon. The other end was attached to the harness of the team that did the hauling. A man walked alongside this rope, holding a sharp axe.
    Colonel Knox climbed on the first sled and took the reins. “Keep an eye on that rope,” he said to the man with the axe. “If the sled breaks through the ice, cut the rope fast. Then if it goes down, the load won’t drag the team along with it. But you’ll have to look sharp.”
    Everyone stood on the bank, watching tensely as Henry snapped his reins. The horses leaned into the traces and stepped out on the ice. It crackled a few warnings, but it managed to hold.