. The boys' life of Lafayette . s of Congress paid a visit to Valley Forge,and later sent a remonstrance to the com-mander-in-chief, urging him not to keep hisarmy in idleness but to march on this Washington answered, I can assurethose gentlemen that it is a much easier andless distressing thing to draw remonstrances ina comfortable room, by a good fireside, than tooccupy a cold, bleak hill, and sleep under frostand snow, without clothes or blankets. How-ever, although they seem to have little feelingfor the naked and distressed soldiers, I feelsuperabundantly for them; and fro
. The boys' life of Lafayette . s of Congress paid a visit to Valley Forge,and later sent a remonstrance to the com-mander-in-chief, urging him not to keep hisarmy in idleness but to march on this Washington answered, I can assurethose gentlemen that it is a much easier andless distressing thing to draw remonstrances ina comfortable room, by a good fireside, than tooccupy a cold, bleak hill, and sleep under frostand snow, without clothes or blankets. How-ever, although they seem to have little feelingfor the naked and distressed soldiers, I feelsuperabundantly for them; and from my soulI pity those miseries, which it is neither in mypower to relieve nor prevent. All those hardships Lafayette also shared,setting his men an example of patience andfortitude that did much to help them throughthe rigorous winter, and winning again andagain the praise of his commander for hisdevotion. In the meantime some men of influence,known as the Conway Cabal, from the nameof one of the leaders, plotted to force Wash-. Q55 o HO fci—i 5< W a wJh-1 FOR YOUNG AMERICANS 107 ington from the chief command, and put Gen-eral Greene in his place. They wanted to useLafayette as a catspaw, and decided that thefirst step was to separate him from Washing-tons influence. With this object in view theyplanned an invasion of Canada, the commandof the expedition to be given to Lafayette saw through the plotting, andrefused to lead the expedition except underWashingtons orders and with De Kalb as hissecond in command. He also showed wherehe stood when he was invited to York to meetsome of the members of Congress and gen-erals who were opposing his leader. At adinner given in his honor he rose, and, liftinghis glass, proposed a toast to The health ofGeorge Washington, our noble commander-in-chief! The party had to drink the toast, andthey saw that the Frenchman was not to beswerved from his loyalty to his chief. Congress had decided on the expedition toCanada, though t
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