Chapter I: Front Matter

The Young
Continentals
at Monmouth

_by_
John T. M^cIntyre
_Author of_

“The Young Continentals at Lexington”
“The Young Continentals at Bunker Hill”
“The Young Continentals at Trenton”

Illustrated by Ralph L. Boyer.

_The Penn Publishing
Company Philadelphia_
_MCMXII_

COPYRIGHT
1912 BY
THE PENN
PUBLISHING
COMPANY

Introduction

Four sturdy young members of the Continental Army are the chief characters in this story. Ben Cooper and Nat Brewster were from Pennsylvania. Ezra Prentiss and his twin brother George were from Massachusetts. “The Young Continentals at Lexington,” the first book of the series, was chiefly concerned with the adventures of Nat Brewster, although all of the four had a part in the stirring events in and around Boston at the beginning of the struggle for the independence of the American Colonies. They were all employed as couriers attached to headquarters, and carried messages for Warren and Putnam, and later for the great general-in-chief, Washington. The second story, “The Young Continentals at Bunker Hill,” told of the part played by Ezra Prentiss, assisted by his friends, and the third story, “The Young Continentals at Trenton,” described some of the good services rendered by George Prentiss. This book tells the story of Ben Cooper at Princeton and in the dark period of Brandywine and Valley Forge, and ends with the victory at Monmouth, when Washington overcame not only his open enemies, but “they of his own household.”

All four books are true pictures of the days when even boys showed that they could be good patriots, and set an example of loyal, modest, faithful service that thousands of American boys are still glad to follow.

Contents

I. TELLS HOW MR. TOBIAS HAWKINS MADE THE ACQUAINTANCE OF
MR. SAMUEL LIVINGSTONE 9

II. IN WHICH MR. HAWKINS UTTERS A THREAT 22

III. SHOWS HOW BEN COOPER STARTED UPON A MISSION IN THE
EARLY DAWN 46

IV. HOW GOOD NEWS CAME TO TRENTON 65

V. IN WHICH AN ARMY CREPT AWAY IN THE NIGHT AND
FOUGHT THE BATTLE OF PRINCETON 78

VI. TELLS HOW BEN COOPER ENCOUNTERED THE MAN WITH THE
YELLOW SMILE 95

VII. IN WHICH THE HOSTLER SEES TWO SHADOWS IN THE ROAD 110

VIII. SHOWS HOW BEN COOPER WENT FORTH INTO THE NIGHT
AND WHAT DISCOVERY HE MADE BY THE WAYSIDE 124

IX. DEALS WITH THE ARRIVAL OF GILBERT MOTIER, MARQUIS
DE LAFAYETTE 140

X. SHOWS HOW THE FIGHT AT BRANDYWINE WAS LOST, AND
HOW BEN BORE THE TIDINGS TO PHILADELPHIA 159

XI. TELLS HOW BEN COOPER LISTENED TO SOME ASTONISHING
REVELATIONS 177

XII. HOW STORM-STAYED GUESTS CAME TO THE INN AT RISING SUN 191

XIII. SHOWS THE BARGAIN THAT WAS STRUCK BY TOBIAS HAWKINS
AND HIS FRIEND 209

XIV. HOW BEN AND PADDY BURK MADE AWAY FROM THE HOUSE OF
DANGER 223

XV. TELLS OF MUCH FIGHTING, AND ALSO HOW JOHNSON QUINSEY
MADE HIS APPEARANCE 231

XVI. IN WHICH BEN MEETS A STRANGER AND HEARS OF THE INN
WITH THE GREEN LIGHT 251

XVII. HOW BEN AND HIS FRIEND PAUSED AT “THE CROSSED KEYS” 267

XVIII. SHOWS HOW MOLLY HAYES AND A KETTLE OF SCALDING
WATER PLAY THEIR PARTS 278

XIX. IN WHICH BEN RECEIVES A LETTER AND RIDES TOWARD YORK 293

XX. TELLS HOW LAFAYETTE ASTONISHED GENERAL GATES 308

XXI. IN WHICH THE BATTLE OF MONMOUTH IS LOST AND WON 321

Illustrations

PAGE

“WILL YOU HAVE SUPPER?” _Frontispiece_

“THIS IS YOUR FRIEND ROBERT MORRIS” 54

“YOU SAW SOMETHING, THEN?” 119

LAFAYETTE WAS FACE TO FACE WITH WASHINGTON 156

THE MEN SHRANK A LITTLE 213

“I AM WANTED AT HEADQUARTERS” 252

“BRAVO, MOLLY PITCHER” 326

The Young Continentals
at Monmouth