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“OUR ONLY HOPE NOW IS upon the speedy enlistment of a new army. If that fails, I think the game is pretty near up.” . . . General George Washington, December 1776.
As those Philadelphians who steadfastly refused to leave the city became increasingly aware of the deplorable conditions of the rebel army camped nearby, they willingly tightened their belts in order to share their own scarce provisions with the troops. Not a day passed that at least a dozen wagons and carts, loaded with clothing, blankets, and food, rumbled up King’s Highway in order to deliver the much-needed goods and supplies to the starving men.
In the next few weeks, Sarah’s spirits visibly rose as she and Betsy made above half a dozen trips back and forth to the army camp. The girls took meat pies, vegetables and baked goods for William and as many of his men as their meager offerings could feed. On two occasions, Betsy’s younger brother George accompanied them, he being especially fond of his Uncle William and happy to see him again. Betsy was pleased for the opportunity to see George again for she’d not seen her little brother since he was a boy. George Griscom was now a strapping young man of nearly seventeen, far taller than Betsy and quite good-looking.
One day as Betsy and Sarah returned to town, Sarah fretted that they could not take enough food to feed every single soldier.
“It’s the vast number of ill men I feel sorry for,” Betsy replied as she carefully wheeled the cart onto the dirt road leading back to the city. Once they’d gained the dusty highway she slapped the reins over Priscilla’s back. “If so many of our fellow Philadelphians hadn’t fled the city, I’m certain even more would be eager to help the troops. It’s fallen to so few of us to care for them. And with our own supplies dwindling, I fear we may all soon want for food and medicine.”
“Nonetheless,” Sarah replied, “we cannot let a single man starve. We must press on, even if we’ve nothing left on our own tables to eat.”
“You heart is far more generous than mine, Sarah.”
“That is untrue, Betsy. It has not escaped my notice that you are spending far more time than usual in your kitchen preparing stews and meat pies to take to the troops.”
“It gives me something to do. I’ve no sewing to occupy me these days. And with Joseph still away . . .” her voice trailed off. With Joseph still away, she did, indeed, spend a great deal of time in her underground kitchen, but she made sure that whilst cooking every single door and window in her home was securely latched against unwanted intruders.
“I do so wish William’s commanding officer would grant him leave to spend Christmas with me.” Sarah’s tone sounded wistful.
“Perhaps he will. Joseph declared it unlikely there would be any fighting until spring.”
Sarah’s eyes cut round. “You have not heard?” she asked softly.
Another wagon was fast approaching; the pair of horses galloping clean down the center of the highway. Betsy pulled on the reins to slow Priscilla’s progress. “Heard what?”
Sarah chewed on her lower lip. “I expect I shouldn’t say anything. William insisted I tell no one.”
“Tell no one what?” Betsy demanded. “If William has said something to you of the army’s plans, I insist you tell me at once, Sarah. What is it? What is General Washington planning?”
Sarah inhaled a ragged breath. “William said that . . . General Washington is planning to launch a surprise attack upon the Hessian troops in Trenton. Perhaps before Christmas.”
“But Christmas is next week!” Betsy gasped. “To do so at this juncture would spoil everyone’s holiday.”
“William says that more than half the army’s enlistments will expire the first day of the New Year,” Sarah explained. “If Washington does not launch an attack now, he’ll have very little army left come next year.”
“Oh, I-I did not know that.” Betsy knew there had been a strong push of late to enlist more men, but until now she hadn’t fully understood the reason for the urgency. Given that there would be no actual fighting until spring she had wondered why they wished to take on more soldiers now, considering the shortage of supplies. Suddenly it occurred to her that if Sarah knew of the army’s secret plan, perhaps . . . others knew of it as well. “Sarah, have you spoken of this to anyone?”
“I’ve said nothing to anyone. William swore me to secrecy.”
“It is imperative that you abide by his wishes, Sarah. William’s life and the lives of all our soldiers depend upon it. Promise me you will say nothing to Rachel.”
“I have not seen Rachel . . . alone, in weeks. Not since I learned that William is alive. Since then, my husband has occupied my thoughts to the exclusion of all else. I have not spoken with Rachel,” she said again.
From her sister’s agitated tone, Betsy could tell that Sarah was growing irritated, quite likely because she suspected that Betsy was about to once again proclaim that François Dubeau was a British spy and if Sarah told Rachel of the rebel army’s plan, that . . .. She fell silent, desperately hoping that Sarah had indeed said nothing to Rachel and that no one had said anything regarding General Washington’s secret plan . . . to François.
Much, much later that evening, Betsy began to wonder how the Patriot army planned to cross the Delaware River if every ship and boat in the vicinity had been destroyed? So far as she knew, other than a few small ferryboats, there was nothing left for miles around still afloat. The few ferryboats that had been spared were capable of carrying only two or three passengers at a time, consequently it would take hundreds, perhaps thousands, of trips across the river before every single rebel soldier could be carried to the opposite shore; and vice versa were the enemy to somehow seize these small boats in order to attempt a reverse crossing. Moreover, as slow as the little rowboats traveled, to cross the river in one of them would prove a suicide mission for it would be child’s play for the waiting army to pick off each and every man before he had time to climb out of the shallow boat and dive for cover. But, she assumed General Washington knew what he was about and had a viable plan in mind.
Considering this new development, however, meant that she had no choice but to set her own secret plan into motion now. She had conceived the idea soon after Joseph left the city and had been quietly considering all aspects of it since.