Page:Lives of the presidents in words of one syllable (1903).djvu/52

 on the bat-ter-y, his men at his heels. The man who led the foe, Rahl, with a shout to his men said, "Don't run from these reb-el dogs! Back, back with you! Fight them! Kill them! Drive them back!"

The Hes-sians did the best they could, but from hou-ses and fen-ces there was the crack, crack of Vir-gin-ia's sharp-shoot-ers. Soon Rahl fell with his death wound.

It was not long, then, ere the foe gave up, and the day was ours. This gave great hope to Wash-ing-ton and our cause.

Mon-roe then rose fast in rank. At Mon-mouth and Bran-dy-wine he was the first man to lead the way to the foe and the last to give up hope when the tide set in the wrong way. Step by step he rose to take the high posts the land had for him.

In 1790 James Mon-roe was made a Sen-a-tor and kept that post four years. Then he was sent to France to guard us in our rights there. He it was who bought for us the vast tract of land then all called Lou-is-i-a-na, which Na-po-le-on sold for a big sum, though the price was small for so large a piece.

Twice Mon-roe was sent to Eng-land and to Spain. What came in his way to do he did well. He was made Gov-ern-or of his own state, then he was first aid to Pres-i-dent Mad-i-son.

On the fourth of March, 1817, James Mon-roe was sworn in as chief of our land. The time was known as the "Era of good feel-ing." Peace was on land and sea.

When Mon-roe came to the chair there was a big debt. He soon paid off the whole of it. Then trade sprang up and grew fast. Ships with loads of goods went from land