4 General Washington’s Man

CHAPTER 4 General Washington's Man All of Alexander's studying about battle strategy and military exercises paid off when he became a captain in the army. People had already heard of his bravery in New York, and many military leaders wanted to work with him. The most important of these was none other than George Washington himself.

当亚历山大成为一名上尉时，他对作战策略和军事演习的所有研究都得到了回报。 人们已经听说了他在纽约的英勇事迹，许多军事领导人都想和他一起工作。 其中最重要的不是别人，正是乔治·华盛顿本人。

George Washington (1732–1799) George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia. His father was a tobacco farmer who owned two plantations and many slaves. George inherited one of these properties, called Mount Vernon, after his father died. He became a major in the Virginia militia in his early twenties and fought in the French and Indian War. He sided with the Iroquois Indians against French colonists.

乔治·华盛顿（1732-1799）乔治·华盛顿出生在弗吉尼亚州的威斯特摩兰县。 他的父亲是一个烟草种植者，拥有两个种植园和许多奴隶。 乔治在父亲去世后继承了其中一处名为芒特弗农的房产。 20岁出头时，他成为弗吉尼亚民兵的少校，参加了法国和印第安人的战争。 他站在易洛魁印第安人一边反对法国殖民者。

Washington was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1775. He was elected the first president of the United States in a landslide election in 1789 and served two terms before retiring. He died in 1799 of a fever. George Washington's portrait has been printed on the dollar bill since 1869. Washington and Alexander fought together at the Battle of White Plains in October 1776. Two months later, on December 25, Alexander joined Washington in a surprise attack. In Trenton, New Jersey, there was a force of Hessians (say: HESH-ans)—German soldiers fighting for the British. Washington and his men were in Pennsylvania. Late at night they crossed the Delaware River that separated them from the British forces. The river was dangerous that time of year—icy and rough. It was a risk. But it paid off when Washington's troops defeated the Hessians and returned to Pennsylvania with all their supplies. Alexander had been sick when Washington was planning the attack, but he got out of bed and led an eight-mile march through the snow to join his commander. Alexander always wanted to

1775年，华盛顿被任命为大陆军总司令。 他在1789年的压倒性选举中当选为美国第一任总统，并在退休前担任了两届总统。 他于1799年死于发烧。 自1869年以来，乔治·华盛顿的肖像一直印在美元钞票上。 华盛顿和亚历山大在1776年10月的白原战役中并肩作战。 两个月后，也就是12月25日，亚历山大与华盛顿一道发起了突然袭击。 在新泽西州的特伦顿，有一群黑森人（HESH-ans）——德国士兵为英国人而战。 华盛顿和他的部下在宾夕法尼亚。 深夜，他们渡过了将他们与英军隔开的特拉华河。 这条河在一年中的这个时候很危险——冰冷而汹涌。 这是一种冒险。但是，当华盛顿的军队击败黑森人，带着所有的补给品回到宾夕法尼亚时，他的努力得到了回报。 当华盛顿计划进攻时，亚历山大已经生病了，但他还是下了床，在雪地里行军了8英里去找他的指挥官。 亚历山大一直想

be out on the field fighting. He didn't like to sit on the sidelines. At this time, he commanded a regiment of sixty-eight men. Alexander was a popular leader. He expected hard work from the men in his regiment, but he was known for the respect he showed every one of them. It was no surprise when a few weeks later Washington asked Alexander to be his assistant.

在战场上战斗。 他不喜欢当旁观者。 此时，他指挥着一个68人的团。 亚历山大是一位受欢迎的领导人。 他期望他团里的人努力工作，但他以尊重他们每一个人而闻名。 几个星期后，华盛顿请亚历山大做他的助手，这并不奇怪。

General Washington also gave him a promotion to lieutenant colonel. Alexander was only twenty-two years old. Another young man who made quite an impression on Washington was a nineteen-year- old Frenchman called the Marquis de Lafayette. Alexander and Lafayette quickly became good friends. Since Alexander could speak French, he could translate Lafayette's words for Washington. On June 28, 1778, all three men—Alexander, Lafayette, and General Washington—fought together at the Battle of Monmouth in Freehold, New Jersey. It was a fierce battle. As Alexander rode into the fight, his horse was shot out right from under him, and he had to be carried off the field. But as the sun set, the British retreated and Alexander was reunited with his friends.

华盛顿将军还把他提升为中校。 亚历山大只有22岁。 另一个给华盛顿留下深刻印象的年轻人是一个19岁的法国人，名叫拉法耶特侯爵。 亚历山大和拉斐特很快成为好朋友。 由于亚历山大会说法语，他可以为华盛顿翻译拉法耶特的话。 1778年6月28日，亚历山大、拉斐特和华盛顿将军三人在新泽西州弗里霍尔德的蒙茅斯战役中并肩作战。 这是一场激烈的战斗。当亚历山大骑进战场时，他的马从他身下被射出去了，他不得不被抬出战场。 但随着太阳落山，英国人撤退了，亚历山大与他的朋友们团聚了。