America breaks free: "this nation," declared Benjamin Franklin, "was established in spite of [any number of] obstacles, with an expedition, energy, wisdom, and success which the whole history of human affairs has not, hitherto, given an example."

Like cutting off the spring from the year. At this time, my grandson, Temple, who had been assisting me, proposed to go to his lather, William, then governor of New Jersey. As my son William adhered to the party of the King, his people had taken him prisoner, and sent him under a guard to Connecticut, where he was allow'd some miles to ride about, upon his parole of honour not to quit that country. Nothing has ever hurt me so much as to find myself deserted in my old age by my only son, William; and not only deserted, but to find him taking up arms against me in a cause where my good fame, fortune, and life were all at stake. William conceived, he said, that his duty to his King and regard for his country require'd this. I ought not to blame him for differing in sentiment with me in public affairs. We are men, all subject to errors. Our opinions are not in our power; they are form'd and govern'd much by circumstances that are often as inexplicable as they are irresistible. His situation was such that few would have censured his remaining neutral, tho' there are natural duties which precede political ones, and cannot be extinguish'd by them. This is a disagreeable subject. I drop it.

It was long foreseen that we could not hold New York. The Declaration of Independence was met with universal approbation. The people everywhere seemed more animated by it in defense of their country. We had nearly 80,000 men in the pay of the Congress. General Washington's army was in possession of New York, but by August 1776, General William Howe had posted on Staten Island, with the troops he carried to Halifax when he was driven out of Boston. Lord Richard Howe arrived there with some reinforcements, including the Hessian mercenaries from Germany. The greater part of our militia were in New Jersey Arms and ammunitions were arriving daily, the French government having resolv'd to wink at the supplying of us, as they heartily wished us success.

The fleet under Lord Howe was vastly superior to anything we had. They landed 20,000 men on Long Island, and got a body of 5,000 men between our people and the lines, so that we were surrounded. General Howe then laid a trap, with which he fully expected to have caught every man we had on that island; but General Washington saw and frustrated his design by an unexpected and well conducted retreat across the Sound. This retreat was spoken of on both sides as a master stroke.

The only source of uneasiness among us arose from the number of Tories found in every state. They were more numerous than formerly and spoke more openly, very many from fear of the British force, some because they were dissatisfied with the general measures of Congress, more because they disapproved of the men in power and the measures in their respective states. If America had fallen, it would have been owing to such divisions more than to the force of our enemies.

Commissioner to France. In September, the Congress appointed me, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee commissioners of the United States of America to the King of France, to deliver a plan of a treaty with all speed. Our appointment on this business remained a profound secret. We believ'd that if France were to join us, America would soon be established an independent empire; and France, drawing those sources of wealth and power that formerly flowed into Great Britain, would immediately become the greatest power in Europe. We were instructed to obtain from the French a recognition of our independency and sovereignty: to conclude treaties of peace and commerce; to prevent their taking part with Great Britain in the war: and to procure from the Court of France an immediate supply of muskets, bayonets, ammunition, and battle ships.