The Conquest of America Part 10

Two minutes! The officer was aiming the big gun at the base of the monument, and was just giving the word to fire when the heavy bronze door swung open, and between the two bronze soldiers appeared Elias A. Smith, a white-haired veteran, over ninety years old, with a bronze medal on his breast and the Stars and Stripes wound around his waist.

"I fought in the Civil War!" he cried, in a shrill voice. "Here's my medal. Here's my flag. I've been the guardian of the monument for sixteen years. George Was.h.i.+ngton's up there on top, and if you're going to shoot him, you can shoot me, too."

The Germans were so surprised by this venerable apparition that they stood like stones.

"Hi! Yi!" shouted Colonel Reading. "It's gone!"

"Hurrah!" echoed the old man. "I was with Grant at Appomattox when Lee surrendered. Why don't you fire?"

Then they did fire, and the proud shaft bearing the statue of George Was.h.i.+ngton crumbled to earth; and in the ruin of it four brave Americans perished.

CHAPTER XII

REAR-ADMIRAL THOMAS Q. ALLYN WEIGHS CHANCES OF THE AMERICAN FLEET IN IMPENDING NAVAL BATTLE

While the main German army pressed on in pursuit of General Wood's fleeing forces, a body of ten thousand of the invaders was left behind at various points in northern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania to pacify this region and organise its industries and activities. The Picatinny a.r.s.enal was now running night and day, under the direction of a force of chemists brought from Germany, turning out sh.e.l.ls and cartridges for the invading army. The great Roebling plant in Trenton was commandeered for the production of field telephone and telegraph wire, and the Mercer automobile factory for military motor-trucks and ambulances.

I was astonished at the rapidity with which German engineers repaired bridges and railroads that had been wrecked by the retreating Americans, and was a.s.sured that the invaders had brought with them from their own country a full supply of steel spans, beams, girders, trusses, and other parts necessary for such repairs, down to the individual bolts and pins for each separate construction. It was an amazing ill.u.s.tration of their preparedness, and of their detailed knowledge of conditions in America.

Trains were soon running regularly between Jersey City and Trenton, their operations being put in the hands of two Pennsylvania Railroad officials, J.B. Fisher, superintendent of the New York division, and Victor Wierman, superintendent of the Trenton division--these two, with their operating staffs, being held personally responsible, under pain of death, for the safe and prompt arrival of troops and supplies.

For the pacification of Trenton the Germans left a force of three thousand men with artillery encamped in the State Fair grounds near the capital, and it was announced in the Trenton _Times_ (made the official German organ) that at the first disorder sh.e.l.ls would be fired at the white marble City Hall, at the State House, with its precious collection of flags and banners from the Civil and Revolutionary wars, at the Broad Street National Bank, and at the Public Service building, which stands where the Hessians surrendered in 1776.

Among hostages taken here by the Germans were R.V. Kuser, head of the Trenton Brewing Company; General Wilbur F. Sadler, president of the Broad Street Trust Company; Colonel E. C. Stahl, a Civil War veteran and the father of Rose Stahl; also the Roman Catholic Bishop James F. McFaul and the Episcopal Bishop Paul Matthews.

Many Trenton women, including Mrs. Karl G. Roebling, Mrs. Oliphant, wife of the General, Miss Mabel Hayter, and Mrs. Charles Howell Cook, were devoted in nursing the wounded who were brought by thousands to the historic churches of Trenton, used as hospitals, and to the vast Second Regiment armory.

Several American nurses came into possession of diaries found on wounded German soldiers, and some of these recorded excesses similar to those committed in Belgium in 1914.

"On the main street of the town of Dover, New Jersey," wrote Private Karmenz, 178th Saxon Regiment, "I saw about fifty citizens shot for having fired from ambush on our soldiers."

"Glorious victories in Pennsylvania," rejoiced Lieutenant A. Aberlein of the Eighth Bavarian Army Corps. "Our men of softer spirit give the wounded a bullet of deliverance; the others hack and stab as they may."

The tribute levied upon Trenton was four million dollars in gold, recently realised by the State Treasurer from an issue of State bonds to supply State deficiencies.

German officers made themselves comfortable in the Trenton Club, the Lotus Club, the Carteret Club, and the Elk Home; also in the Windsor House, the Trenton House, and the Sterling House. Printed schedules of rates for food and rooms were posted up, and the proprietors were notified that they would be punished if they refused to give service at these rates, just as the German soldiers would be punished if they tried to evade payment.

Officers of the German headquarters staff occupied Karl G. Roebling's show place, with its fine stables, lawns, and greenhouses.

A few days after the battle of Trenton, I received a cable to the effect that the American fleet had nearly completed its voyage around South America and had been sighted off Cape St. Roque, the northeastern corner of Brazil, headed toward the Caribbean Sea. It was known that the German fleet had been cruising in these waters for weeks, awaiting the enemy's arrival, and cutting off their colliers and supply s.h.i.+ps from all ports in Europe and America; and it was now evident that a great naval battle must occur in the near future.

I took steamer at once for Kingston, Jamaica; and on the evening of my arrival, July 10, I called on my friend, Rear-Admiral Thomas Q. Allyn of the United States Navy (now retired), whom I had not seen since our dramatic meeting at Colon when the Panama Ca.n.a.l was wrecked by the Germans. I had many questions to ask the Admiral, and we talked until after midnight.

"I am horribly anxious, Mr. Langston," said the veteran of Manila. "We are facing a great crisis. Our s.h.i.+ps are going into battle, and within a few hours we shall know whether the civilian policy at Was.h.i.+ngton that has controlled our naval development--the policy that forced me to resign rather than a.s.sume the responsibility for consequences--we shall know whether that policy was wise or foolish."

"I did not suspect that you resigned for that reason," said I.

His face darkened.

"Yes. There had been tension for months. The whole service was demoralised. Discipline and efficiency were destroyed. As far back as 1914, I testified before the House Committee on Naval Affairs that it would take five years to make our fleet ready to fight the fleet of any first-cla.s.s naval power, and to get our personnel into proper condition.

I said that we were not able to defend the Monroe Doctrine in the Atlantic, or to force the Open Door of trade in the Pacific. I might as well have spoken to the winds, and when the order came last April, against the best naval advice, to take our fleet into the Pacific, I handed in my resignation."

"You must be glad you did, in view of what happened."

"Yes; but--I am thinking of my country. I am thinking of those unfortunate s.h.i.+ps that have come around South America without sufficient coal or provisions."

I asked Admiral Allyn how the American fleet compared with the Germans in number of s.h.i.+ps. He shook his head.

"We are far behind them. Nine years ago, in 1912, we stood next to Great Britain in naval strength; but since then we have steadily fallen back.

Germany has a dozen super-dreadnoughts, s.h.i.+ps of over 30,000 tons, while we have six. Germany has twenty dreadnoughts of from 20,000 to 30,000 tons to our ten. She has four battle-cruisers, while we have none. She has a hundred destroyers to our twenty-five."

"I understand that these figures refer to the fleets that are actually going into battle?"

"Yes. Germany's entire naval strength is a third more than that. I have accurate information. You see, our fleet is outcla.s.sed."

"But it will fight?"

"Of course our fleet will fight; but--we can't get to our base at Guantanamo--the German fleet blocks the way. For years we have begged that Guantanamo be fortified; but our request was always refused."

"Why?"

"Ah, why? Why, in 1915, were we refused eighteen thousand men on the active list that were absolutely necessary to man our s.h.i.+ps? Why have we practically no naval reserves? Why, in 1916, were the President's reasonable demands for naval preparedness refused by Congress? I will tell you why! Because politics has been considered more than efficiency in the handling of our navy. Vital needs have been neglected, so that a show of economy could be made to the people and get their votes. Economy!

Good heavens! you see where it has brought us!"

On the morning of July 11, as I was breakfasting in the hotel with Admiral Allyn, there was great excitement outside, and, going to the piazza, we saw a large airs.h.i.+p approaching rapidly from the northwest at the height of about a mile. It was one of the non-rigid Pa.r.s.eval type, evidently a German.

"A scout from the enemy's fleet," said Admiral Allyn.

"That means they are not far away?"

"Yes. They came through the Windward Pa.s.sage three weeks ago, and have been lying off Guantanamo ever since. We ought to have wireless reports of them soon."

As a matter of fact, before noon the wireless station at Santiago de Cuba flashed the news that coasting steamers had reported German battles.h.i.+ps steaming slowly to the south, and a few hours later other wireless reports informed us that the American fleet had been sighted off the southern coast of Haiti.

The Admiral nodded grimly.

"The hour has struck. The German and American fleets will meet in these waters somewhere between Guantanamo and Jamaica."

CHAPTER XIII

THE GREAT NAVAL BATTLE OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA