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; it preserved at the same time constitutional rights in defense of which twenty…five years afterwards the whole continent fought the Revolution。 The Quaker Assembly even passed two militia bills; one of which became law; and sent rather more than the province's full share of troops to protect the frontiers of New York and New England and to carry the invasion into Canada。

General Braddock warmly praised the assistance which Pennsylvania gave him because; he said; she had done more for him than any of the other colonies。 Virginia and Maryland promised everything and performed nothing; while Pennsylvania promised nothing and performed everything。 Commodore Spy thanked the Assembly for the large number of sailors sent his fleet at the expense of the province。 General Shirley; in charge of the New England and New York campaigns; thanked the Assembly for the numerous recruits; and it was the common opinion at the time that Pennsylvania had sent more troops to the war than any other colony。 In the first four years of the war the province spent for military purposes 210;567 pounds sterling; which was a very considerable sum at that time for a community of less than 200;000 people。 Quakers; though they hate war; will accept it when there is no escape。 The old story of the Quaker who tossed a pirate overboard; saying; 〃Friend; thee has no business here;〃 gives their point of view better than pages of explanation。 Quaker opinion has not always been entirely uniform。 In Revolutionary times in Philadelphia there was a division of the Quakers known as the Fighting Quakers; and their meeting house is still pointed out at the corner of Fourth Street and Arch。 They even produced able military leaders: Colonel John Dickinson; General Greene; and General Mifflin in the Continental Army; and; in the War of 1812; General Jacob Brown; who reorganized the army and restored its failing fortunes after many officers had been tried and found wanting。

There was always among the Quakers a rationalistic party and a party of mysticism。 The rationalistic party prevailed in Pennsylvania all through the colonial period。 In the midst of the worst horrors of the French and Indian wars; however; the conscientious objectors roused themselves and began preaching and exhorting what has been called the mystical side of the faith。 Many extreme Quaker members of the Assembly resigned their seats in consequence。 After the Revolution the spiritual party began gaining ground; partly perhaps because then the responsibilities of government and care of the great political and religious experiment in Pennsylvania were removed。 The spiritual party increased so rapidly in power that in 1827 a split occurred which involved not a little bitterness; ill feeling; and litigation over property。 This division into two opposing camps; known as the Hicksites and the Orthodox; continues and is likely to remain。

Quaker government in Pennsylvania was put to still severer tests by the difficulties and disasters that followed Braddock's defeat。 That unfortunate general had something over two thousand men and was hampered with a train of artillery and a splendid equipment of arms; tools; and supplies; as if he were to march over the smooth highways of Europe。 When he came to drag all these munitions through the depths of the Pennsylvania forests and up and down the mountains; he found that he made only about three miles a day and that his horses had nothing to eat but the leaves of the trees。 Washington; who was of the party; finally persuaded him to abandon his artillery and press forward with about fifteen hundred picked men。 These troops; when a few miles from Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburgh); met about six hundred Indians and three hundred French coming from the fort。 The English maintained a close formation where they were; but the French and Indians immediately spread out on their flanks; lying behind trees and logs which provided rests for their rifles and security for their bodies。 This strategy decided the day。 The English were shot down like cattle in a pen; and out of about fifteen hundred only four hundred and fifty escaped。 The French and Indian loss was not much over fifty。

This defeat of Braddock's force has become one of the most famous reverses in history; and it was made worse by the conduct of Dunbar who had been left in command of the artillery; baggage; and men in the rear。 He could have remained where he was as some sort of protection to the frontier。 But he took fright; burned his wagons; emptied his barrels of powder into the streams; destroyed his provisions; and fled back to Fort Cumberland in Maryland。 Here the governors of Pennsylvania and Virginia as well as the Pennsylvania Assembly urged him to stay。 But; determined to make the British rout complete; he soon retreated to the peace and quiet of Philadelphia; and nothing would induce him to enter again the terrible forests of Pennsylvania。

The natural result of the blunder soon followed。 The French; finding the whole frontier of Pennsylvania; Maryland; and Virginia abandoned; organized the Indians under French officers and swept the whole region with a devastation of massacre; scalping; and burning that has never been equaled。 Hurons; Potawatomies; Ojibways; Ottawas; Mingoes; renegades from the Six Nations; together with the old treaty friends of Penn; the Delawares and Shawanoes; began swarming eastward and soon had killed more people than had been lost at Braddock's defeat。 The onslaught reached its height in September and October。 By that time all the outlying frontier settlers and their families had been killed or sent flying eastward to seek refuge in the settlements。 The Indians even followed them to the settlements; reached the Susquehanna; and crossed it。 They massacred the people of the village of Gnadenhutten; near Bethlehem on the Lehigh; and established near by a headquarters for prisoners and plunder。 Families were scalped within fifty miles of Philadelphia; and in one instance the bodies of a murdered family were brought into the town and exhibited in the streets to show the inhabitants how near the danger was approaching。 Nothing could be done to stem the savage tide。 Virginia was suffering in the same way: the settlers on her border were slaughtered or were driven back in herds upon the more settled districts; and Washington; with a nominal strength of fifteen hundred who would not obey orders; was forced to stand a helpless spectator of the general flight and misery。 There was no adequate force or army anywhere within reach。 The British had been put to flight and had gone to the defense of New England and New York。 Neither Pennsylvania nor Virginia had a militia that could withstand the French and their red allies。 They could only wait till the panic had subsided and then see what could be done。

One thing was accomplished; however; when the Pennsylvania Assembly passed a Quaker militia law which is one of the most curious legal documents of its kind in history。 It was most aptly worded; drafted by the master hand of Franklin。 It recited the fact that the province had always been ruled by Quakers who were opposed to war; but that now it had become necessary to allow men to become soldiers and to give them every facility for the profession of arms; because the Assembly though containing a Quaker majority nevertheless represented all the people of the province。 To prevent those who believed in war from taking part in it would be as much a violation of liberty of conscience as to force enlistments among those who had conscientious scruples against it。 Nor would the Quaker majority have any right to compel others to bear arms and at the same time exempt themselves。 Therefore a voluntary militia system was established under which a fighting Quaker; a Presbyterian; an Episcopalian; or anybody; could enlist and have all the military glory he could win。

It was altogether a volunteer system。 Two years afterwards; as the necessities of war increased; the Quaker Assembly passed a rather stringent compulsory militia bill; but the governor vetoed it; and the first law with its volunteer system remained in force。 Franklin busied himself to encourage enlistments under it and was very successful。 Though a philosopher and a man of science; almost as much opposed to war as the Quakers and not even owning a shotgun; he was elected commander and led a force of about five hundred men to protect the Lehigh Valley。 His common sense seems to have supplied his lack of military training。 He did no worse than some professional soldiers who might be named。 The valley was supposed to be in great danger since its village of Gnadenhutten had been burned and its people massacred。 The Moravians; like the Quakers; had suddenly found that they were not as much opposed to war as they had supposed。 They had obtained arms and ammunition from New York and had built stockades; and Franklin was glad to find them so well prepared when he arrived。 He built small forts in different parts of the valley; acted entirely on the defensive; and no doubt checked the raids of the Indians at that point。 They seem to have been watching him from the hilltops all the time; and any rashness on his part would probably have brought disaster upon h

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