* These words are repeated in the original. "And fired the shot heard round the world." were happily secur'd just before their Arrival, by Transpor[tation] into ye Wood' & other by-Places. — In yo mean Time, the Guard set by [y] Enemy to secure ye Pass at yo N. Bridge, were alarm[ed] by y Approa[ch] of our People, who had retreated as men' [mentioned] before, & w! now advancing, with spec[ial] Ord' [orders] not to not to* fire upon y Troops, unless fir'd upon. - These Orders were so punctually observ'd y we rec'd ye Fire of ye Enemy in 3 several & seperate Discharges of their Peices, before it was return'd, by our command[ing] Officer; the firing then soon beca [became] general for sev[eral] min' [minutes], in wch Skirmish two w kill on each Side, & sev[eral] of ye Enemy wounded:- It may here be obs [observed] by ye Way, yt we were y more cau[tious] to prevent begin [beginning] a Rupture wth ye K' [King's] Troops, as we w then uncert[ain] what had happ[ened] at Lexington, & knew [not?] yt they had begun ye Quarrell there by fst firing upon our pp [people] & killing 8 Men upon yo Spot. -The 3 Compa' [companies of] Troops soon quitted their Post at ye Bridge, & retreat in gest [greatest] Disord! & Confu[sion] to ye main Body, who were soon upon y March to meet them. - For half an hour ye Enemy by y Marches & counter Marches discova gt Feekelness [great fickleness] & Inconstancy of Mind, sometimes advancing sometimes returning to y former Posts, till at Len[g]th they quitted ye Town, & retreated by ye Wa[y] yy [they] came. In ye Mean Time, a Party of our Men, (150) took yo back Wa[y] thro' ye gt Fields into ye E. q [east quarter] & had plac'd 'ems' [themselves] to advantage, laying in Ambush, behind Walls Fences & Buildings, r[eady] to fire upon y Enemy, on their Retreat From a facsimile copy of the original manuscript, appended to By DELE 58. Drafting the Declaration of Indepen- GATE JOHN You dence (1776) OU inquire why so young a man as Mr. Jefferson was a Declaration of Independence? One for the ADAMS man, memContinental Congress, ambassador, ber of the dent, and President. He made the best possible use of the excellent opportunities for observa tion which he had during his long period of public life. was written This piece in 1822. For other ex Frankfort advice, to place Virginia at the head of every thing. Mr. Richard Henry Lee might be gone to Virginia, Vice-Presito his sick family, for aught I know, but that was not the reason of Mr. Jefferson's appointment. There were three committees appointed at the same time. Declaration of Independence, another for preparing articles of Confederation, and another for preparing a treaty to be proposed to France. Mr. Lee was chosen for the Committee of Confederation, and it was not thought convenient that the same person should be upon both. Mr. Jefferson came into Congress, in June, 1775, and brought with him a reputation for literature, science, and a happy talent of composition. Writings of his were handed about, remarkable for the peculiar felicity of expression. Though a silent member in Congress, he was so prompt, frank, explicit, and decisive upon committees and in conversation, not even Samuel Adams was more so, that he soon seized upon my heart; and upon this occasion I gave him my vote, and did all in my power to procure the votes of others. I think he had one more vote than any other, and that placed him at the, head of the committee. I had the next highest number, and that placed me the second. The committee met, discussed the subject, and then appointed Mr. Jefferson and me to make the draught, I suppose because we were the two first on the list. tracts from Adams, see Contemporaries, II, Nos. 24, 79, 153, 189, 217.For the Declaration of Independence, see Contemporaries, II, ch. xxx. The "Frank- refers to Massachusetts delegation to the to "You should do You ought to do Continental Congress of 1774 and a The sub-committee met. Jefferson proposed to me make the draught. I said, "I will not." it." "Oh! no." "Why will you not? delegation from the Philadelphia Sons of Lib erty. The meeting was 29, 1774, at Frankfort, a town situated five miles from Of Jefferson's British it." "I will not." over. 66 "Why?" "Reasons enough.' "What can be your reasons?" "Reason first You are a Virginian, and a Virginian ought to appear at the head of this business. Reason second- I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular. held August You are very much otherwise. Reason third - You can write ten times better than I can." 'Well," said Jefferson, "if you are decided, I will do as well as I can.” “Very well. When you have drawn it up, we will have a meeting." A meeting we accordingly had, and conned the paper I was delighted with its high tone and the flights of oratory with which it abounded, especially that concerning negro slavery, which, though I knew his Southern brethren would never suffer to pass in Congress, I certainly never would oppose. There were other expressions which I would not have inserted, if I had drawn it up, particularly that which called the King tyrant. I thought this too personal; for I never believed George to be a tyrant in disposition and in nature; I always believed him to be deceived by his courtiers on both sides of the Atlantic, and in his official capacity only, cruel. I thought the expression too passionate, and too much like scolding, for so grave and solemn a document; but as Franklin and Sherman were to inspect it afterwards, I thought it would not become me to strike it out. I consented to report it, and do not now remember that I made or suggested a single alteration. America, originally planned to serve merely as a set of instructions to the Virginia delegates to the Continental Congress, was chiefly instrumental in giving him a reputation among the members of the convention. man of Con necticut. We reported it to the committee of five. It was read, and Roger Sher- I do not remember that Franklin or Sherman criticized any thing. We were all in haste. Congress was impatient, and the instrument was reported, as I believe, in Jefferson's handwriting, as he first drew it. Congress cut off about a quarter of it, as I expected they would; but they obliterated some of the best of it, and left all that was exceptionable, if any thing in it was. I have long wondered that the original draught has not been published. I suppose the reason is, the vehement philippic against negro slavery. As you justly observe, there is not an idea in it but what had been hackneyed in Congress for two years before. The substance of it is contained in the declaration of rights and the violation of those rights, in the Journals of Congress, in 1774. Indeed, the essence of it is contained in a pamphlet, voted and printed by the town of Boston, before the first Congress met, composed by James Otis, as I suppose, in one of his lucid intervals, and pruned and polished by Samuel Adams. John Adams, Works (edited by Charles Francis Adams, Boston, 1850), II, 513-514. I 59. Report of the Battle of Princeton (1777) HAVE the honor to inform you, that, since the date of my last from Trenton, I have removed with the army under my command to this place. The difficulty of crossing the Delaware, on account of the ice, made our passage over it tedious, and gave the enemy an opportunity of drawing in their several cantonments, and assembling their whole force at Princeton. Their large pickets advanced towards Trenton, their great preparations, and some intelligence I had received, added to their knowledge, that the 1st of January brought on a dissolution of the best part of our army, gave me the strongest reasons to conclude, that an attack upon us was meditating. The Rights of the British Asserted and (1764). Colonies Proved By GENERAL TON. This is from an official report sent by the in-chief to the president of Congress shortly after the battle; commander it is a type of military which are more comprehensive than per reports, sonal narratives. For Washington, see above, No. 39. - For the period, poraries, II, see Contem Our situation was most critical, and our force small. On the 2d [of January, 1777], according to my expectation, the enemy began to advance upon us; and, after some skirmishing, the head of their column reached Trenton about four o'clock, whilst their rear was as far back as Maidenhead. They attempted to pass Sanpink Creek, which militia would ch. xxxi. The terms of service of the runs through Trenton, at different places; but, finding the forts guarded, they halted, and kindled their fires. We were drawn up on the other side of the creek. In this situation we remained till dark, cannonading the enemy, and receiving the fire of their field-pieces, which did us but little damage. Having by this time discovered, that the enemy were greatly superior in number, and that their design was to surround us, I ordered all our baggage to be removed silently to Burlington soon after dark; and at twelve o'clock after renewing our fires, and leaving guards at the bridge in Trenton, and other passes on the same stream above, marched by a roundabout road to Princeton, where I knew they could not have much force left, and might have stores. One thing I was certain of, that it would avoid the appearance of a retreat (which was of consequence, or to run the hazard of the whole army being cut off), whilst we might by a fortunate stroke withdraw General Howe from Trenton, and give some reputation to our arms. Happily we succeeded. We found Princeton about sunrise, with only three regiments and three troops of light-horse in it, two of which were on their march to Trenton. These three regiments, especially the two first, made a gallant resistance, and, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, must have lost five hundred men; upwards of one hundred of them were left dead on the field; and, with what I have with me and what were taken in the pursuit and carried across the Delaware, there are near three hundred prisoners, fourteen of whom are officers, all British. . . ... .. We took two brass field-pieces; but, for want of horses, could not bring them away. We also took some blankets, shoes, and a few other trifling articles, burned the hay, and destroyed such other things, as the shortness of the time would admit of. . . . . . The militia are taking spirits, and, I am told, are |