The finances were ruined, Congress was helpless, the States seemed stupefied.

Treason of the most desperate kind suddenly reared its head, and threatened the very citadel of the Revolution.
These were the days of the war least familiar to posterity.

They are unmarked in the main by action or fighting, and on this dreary monotony nothing stands out except the black stain of Arnold's treason.

Yet it was the time of all others when Washington had most to bear.

It was the time of all others when his dogged persistence and unwavering courage alone seemed to sustain the flickering fortunes of the war.
In April Washington was pondering ruefully on the condition of affairs at the south.