Would to God they were to end here." The events in the south, too, had a sobering effect.

The congressional general Gates had not proved a success.

His defeat at Camden had been terribly complete, and his flight had been too rapid to inspire confidence in his capacity for recuperation.

The members of Congress were thus led to believe that as managers of military matters they left much to be desired; and when Washington, on October 11, addressed to them one of his long and admirable letters on reorganization, it was received in a very chastened spirit.

They had listened to many such letters before, and had benefited by them always a little, but danger and defeat gave this one peculiar point.