"1683-1920" / The Fourteen Points and What Became of Them—Foreign Propaganda in the Public Schools—Rewriting the History of the United States—The Espionage Act and How It Worked—"Illegal and Indefensible Blockade" of the Central Powers—1,000,000 Victims of Starvation—Our Debt to France and to Germany—The War Vote in Congress—Truth About the Belgian Atrocities—Our Treaty with Germany and How Observed—The Alien Property Custodianship—Secret Will of Cecil Rhodes—Racial Strains in American Life—Germantown Settlement of 1683 and a Thousand Other Topics

by Frederick Franklin Schrader

A detachment of the fleet under M. de Lilly arriving at this time gave General Muhlenberg great hopes of capturing the traitor. All plans were made, but the French commander deemed the Elizabeth River too shallow for his boats, and just as they were well on the eve of accomplishing this greatly desired object M. de Lilly set sail for Newport, thus dashing the revived hopes of General Muhlenberg, who had set himself to capture the traitor.

The importance of capturing Arnold and dislodging the enemy in Virginia was deeply felt by Washington, and he urged on his officers to leave no means untried to accomplish that purpose. He induced Admiral Detouches to set sail for the Chesapeake, and the Marquis de Lafayette was dispatched with 1,200 of the continental line to co-operate with the fleet and take command in Virginia.

General Muhlenberg and General Gregory, with a reinforcement of 800 men, were in charge at West Landing.

Matters were now hastening on to the near close of hostilities.

Lafayette was in command in Virginia, and Muhlenberg, as usual, was taking a heavy hand at the game.

Cornwallis was being hemmed in at Yorktown, and Muhlenberg was put in command of the advance guard, which required the utmost military skill and tact, for had Cornwallis attempted to escape the whole weight of the battle would have fallen on this line, and no doubt would have proved fatal by overwhelming numbers.

The British commander waited in vain for help from without, and was at last compelled to surrender on that memorable day, October 12, 1781, at Yorktown.

General Muhlenberg continued in the army until the treaty of peace in 1783. The trusted warm friend of General Washington, who had ever relied on him to add to the volunteers in recruiting the army at the briefest possible notice since the first volunteers the day he forsook the altar for the sword.

After the treaty of peace had been signed at Versailles he retired to a much-needed rest in the bosom of his family, where he found his home had suffered severely from the misfortunes of war.

Himself broken in health and fortune, but happy in the consciousness of a duty well done, he could say with Baron Steuben, “If we win the great prize we fight for the struggle cannot be too great.”