“From General Lee.”
Washington at once broke the seal; and as he read the paper, a cloud overspread his face, his heavy brows came together in a frown, and he turned to General Greene.
“Lee has altered his mind,” said he.
“You don’t mean that he now wants the command, after it’s given to another?” asked the astonished Greene.
“Just so.”
At this a quick shock seemed to strike at Ben Cooper’s heart. If General Lee was a traitor—and the words of Hawkins made him think so in spite of himself—what an opportunity this was to play into the hands of the British; what an opportunity it was to deal the cause of liberty a blow from which it might never recover.
“It may be,” was the lad’s instant thought, “that Hawkins has had something to do with this change of mind on the part of General Lee. Irritated that his advice was not being followed, the general, who is notoriously testy, agreed to having Lafayette in command of the advance. But no sooner had I gone with this answer, than Hawkins arrived and pointed out that this course was a mistake for one in the pay of the British government, and so instantly Lee altered his mind.”
“This situation,” said General Washington, “is a most perplexing one. I do not see how I can agree to Lee’s altered fancy without grievously wounding the feelings of Lafayette.”
But it developed that this could be done without any difficulty. A sudden altering of Clinton’s plans, which threw the weight of British power into the rear under Cornwallis, made it necessary for General Washington to send a reinforcement to his advance. The brigades of Varnum and Scott were sent under the headship of General Lee, and he, being senior officer, was in this way placed in command of the whole advance.
That night the British encamped near Monmouth Court House, while the Americans under Lee lay at Englishtown, five miles away. Washington and the main body were three miles to the rear of the advance.