The splendid fleet and well-equipped troops of our ally were actually at our gates, and everybody was in a paroxysm of perfectly natural gratitude.

To the colonial mind, steeped in colonial habits of thought, the foreigner at this particular juncture appeared more than ever to be a splendid and superior being.

But he did not in the least confuse or sway the cool judgment that guided the destinies of the Revolution.

Let us consider well the pregnant sentences just quoted, and the letters from which they are taken.

They deserve it, for they throw a strong light on a side of Washington's mind and character too little appreciated.