“Oh, is that so?” Cap asked heavily. “He took Morgan’s regiment away from him, did he? Why didn’t he take an arm and a leg and a couple of his eyes, too?”

Nason turned to me. “Maybe you didn’t know that Washington sent Morgan and his riflemen up to Schuyler before Congress threw Schuyler out of the army. It’s the greatest regiment in the world. Every man in it can shoot the head off a humming-bird at thirty paces.”

“I never seen ’em shoot humming-birds,” Cap remarked sourly, “but I saw ’em working on British officers up at Freeman’s Farm. It’s God’s wonder the British got any officers left! Every time one of ’em came out in the open, where Morgan’s men could get a look at him, there’d be about seven bullets hit him. You could hear ’em hit, like a squash pie hitting a barn door.”

Nason nodded. “That’s right. Arnold used that regiment the way you’d use a whip. He snapped it at ’em, first thing, and it made the British jump and scatter. When he’d rubbed ’em raw with it, he threw his other brigades straight at ’em and busted ’em wide open.”

“Why did Gates take it away from him,” I asked, “and when did it happen?”

“It just happened,” Nason said. “We just heard about it, an hour ago. Wilkinson issued general orders saying Colonel Morgan’s corps was to take instructions only from headquarters. As to why it was done, your guess is as good as mine. I’d say it was to aggravate Arnold—make him so mad he’d have to quit.”

“Now listen, Stevie,” Cap said, exasperated, “he can’t quit! The British may sail into us again tomorrow, or next day! He can’t quit!”

Nason looked at him coldly. “What would you do,” he asked, “if I’d told you to give orders to Natanis and Joe Phipps, and you did; and then I went to ’em and said, ‘Don’t pay any attention to what that big moose tells you! He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!’ What would you say to that?”

Cap snorted. “What would I say? I dunno as I’d say much, but I’d get me a tent-peg and bust it over that thick head of yours!”

“Well,” Nason said, “generals don’t bust tent-pegs on each other, especially if one of ’em’s the commanding general. If Gates insults Arnold, after what he’s done for this army, there’s only one thing for Arnold to do.”

“Now wait a minute, Stevie,” Cap said. “If Arnold goes away, who’ll lead us? Gates can’t. When there’s a battle, he has to stay home to make the beds and empty the pots. Who else is there besides Gates?”

“Lincoln,” Nason said. “General Lincoln just came over from New Hampshire.”