The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

162 LIFE OF WVASHINGTON. [1775.
to the station he occupied. On the 1st of October he
was superseded in the command by General Howe.
The abilities of this officer were perhaps superior to
those of his predecessor, but they did not grow by
experience in the public estimation. He possessed the
advantage, however, of not having mingled in the exciting events, in which General Gage had acted such
a part as to bring down upon him the ill will and
reproaches of the people. General Howe was a brother
of Lord Howe, who had been slain at Ticonderoga in
the last war, and whose memory was ever cherished
with warm affection by the colonists. Hence he had
nothing to contend against but the physical force,
determined spirit, and political skill of the Americans.
Prejudices were in his favor, and no antipathies existed.
Unluckily he imbibed the idea, that he was quelling a
rebellion, and that a scrupulous regard to the rules of
honorable warfare was not exacted in such a contest.
It would be hard to blame him, perhaps, on this score,
since he was only conforming to the spirit of his instructions; yet a little more discernment in penetrating the
actual state of things around him, a little more discretion
and sagacity in adapting his conduct to circumstances,
would have shown his character in a better light without diminishing the value of his services in the cause
he was set to maintain.
The enlistments in the new army went on slowly.
The dissatisfaction and cabals of the officers, the exacting temper and undisciplined habits of the men, occasioned endless perplexities. General Washington felt
intense anxiety. His patience and fortitude were tried
in the severest manner. A month's experiment had
obtained only five thousand recruits. At one time he
was flattered with promises, at another almost every
gleam of hope was extinguished, till at length, when