Chapter VI · The Defeat of the Red Dragoons

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

matters of personal concern

From this reading Affairs had gone rapidly from bad to worse.

anew

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Sir Henry went back to New York, leaving Lord Cornwallis in command.

having undesirable or negative qualities

From this reading Affairs had gone rapidly from bad to worse.

earlier than; in front of

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

the people of Great Britain

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

past form of “capture” — succeed in representing or expressing something intangible

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

state capital of West Virginia in the central part of the state on the Kanawha river

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

inflected form of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

wife of President Clinton and later a woman member of the United States Senate (1947-)

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

an authoritative direction or instruction to do something

From this reading Sir Henry went back to New York, leaving Lord Cornwallis in command.

the legislature of the United States government

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

of or pertaining to or typical of Europe

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

commander of the British forces in the American War of Independence; was defeated by American and French troops at Yorktown (1738-1805)

From this reading Sir Henry went back to New York, leaving Lord Cornwallis in command.

superlative of “dark” — devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

the first light of day

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

wanted intensely

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Affairs had gone rapidly from bad to worse.

United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

applying to all or most members of a category or group

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

destroyed or killed

From this reading Affairs had gone rapidly from bad to worse.

English novelist and Catholic (1904-1991)

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Affairs had gone rapidly from bad to worse.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

the act of departing

From this reading Sir Henry went back to New York, leaving Lord Cornwallis in command.

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

possessive form of “lincoln” — 16th President of the United States; saved the Union during the American Civil War and emancipated the slaves; was assassinated by Booth (1809-1865)

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading Sir Henry went back to New York, leaving Lord Cornwallis in command.

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

plural of “patriot” — one who loves and defends his or her country

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

past form of “pray” — address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

with speed

From this reading Affairs had gone rapidly from bad to worse.

located on or directed toward the right

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

cause to go somewhere

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

term of address for a man

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

an event that accomplishes its intended purpose

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Affairs had gone rapidly from bad to worse.

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791

From this reading Washington desired to send his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of British success, but the Continental Congress chose to send General Gates.

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Sir Henry went back to New York, leaving Lord Cornwallis in command.

used to ask for information about something

From this reading If what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light.

in the company of; together with

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability

From this reading Affairs had gone rapidly from bad to worse.

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.

the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose

From this reading Sir Henry Clinton had come again from New York, and in May of that year had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army.