The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1780-07-25 00:00:00, page 2

From s h e NEW-lERG3Y JOURNAL, July rs.
To his Excellency Lieutenant General K^pbaujen, Com
mander of a detal hinent of the British army, in the
late nvafion of New Jersey.
hi R,
, C' a man, a gentleman and a soldier, I presume that
/larght of a hireling you, when it is done in truth
a ^i decency, cannot.be denied me, confident with the
L frames of all nations, however you may aider from me
in point ot honorary rank, or superior authority.—By the
former weare entitled to expert th^^re^teft propriety in
all your oroceedinss— by the latter, you are certainly ac
comxablr, in some measure, for the conduct of every
p r ^n a^ing under your influence and that authority.—
Your army is either well disciplined, or it is not —You
either command troops who are accustomed to implicit
obedience, or, by a want of attention to your duty and a
11-Rta of every essential that constitutes the character of
a soldier, you have (offered a veteran army, committed
to your car; to link into a vafl crowd of lawless banditti.
The lad you will not, you cannot admit. I Ihall there
fore confiter you in this address as the head of a well dis
ciplined army, from whom every movement as necessarily
fio ^ as the blood from the human heart.
You may perhaps, notwithstanding all this, at fir fl fight,
be surprised at the freedom of this public address from a
Franker, whom you have honored with the appellation
of Rebel. As fame apology, however, I beg leave to in
form you, that I am just returned from tracing that horrid
path which you have so lately slumped with the indelible
charters of relentless fury, and the most timid devafla
tion. Fbefe, not the. concomitants of a soldier (an ho
bcunble charter I greatly refpe&) but of apovuerful
cxe ufo^erof royal malice, detested by every friend of
mankind.
Tae Mineral of one of the most amiable women, whose
whole lie had breathed nothing but benevolence and
god will to ev ry human creature for a while suspended
my.uloniihroent and engaged my attention. I thought
mytel r gr'jiy honored, by paying her those last rights
oHriend&pand h&nau„ which you most cruelly refu
feo ^r, tho' be hi be vidim cf your heroism, and be
c:me th; fl iaipal trophy of your pompous invasion.
Your Ex ib^cy cannot be ignorant, that the wife of
the Revd, Mr. James Caldwell is the worthy lady to
Them I refer. I think her namecan never be forgotten
by , u, but must be remembered, with inexpiable anguish
aoriorrifery, in t l e last agonies of y©ur expiring nature.
I acknowledge Mr. Caldwell was your enemy, he was so,
candidly, openly, and uniformly, as such you had a right
to m?ei him in the fold, and to have opposed him vali
antly in arms ; but fufftr rile to alk your Excellency, did
it become the. dignified charaßerof a soldier, when dis
appointed in every other malevolent attempt, to descend
to the brutal alternative of assassination. Afoffination,
riot of a man, who might possibly, in the worst of cir
cam fiances, have defended himfelf ; but of a sweet, placid,
innocentlady, whose only security was a vain and delu
sive dependence on the humanity of a relentless foe.
Alas,!, for human ty! The horrid crime is perpetrated,
and, that by a British, difciplmed soldier, under a veteran
General* -,urcbaj'ed froma foreign country by a British
Kmg. r
In this aft your Excellency has, it is true, most severe
ly wounded this gentleman in the tendered part. You
have also the consolation of adding to this valiant deed,
not only the depriving of nine Iweet babes of one of the
most affeßionate parents on earth, but you have devoted
to the flames and plunder his habitation and property,
by which these dear pledges of their mutual affeflion are
turned out, hungry and naked to the benevolence of their
friends —I doubt not you will deny this charge—nay, I
have already feeu an attempt of this nature by a British
officer, aggravated by the most abominable falfehood;
but it is on your Excllency, as the commanding officer,
which [before observed, that we have a right to fix this
horrid aft, I confefs it is not known to us, that it was
perpetrated by your express order, yer it is ascertained
beyond a doubt, by unexceptionable testimony, that you
finch knew it was done defignef, by one of your soldiers,
and it has not yet appeared that you have so much as
threatened to punish the murderer. Had you relented
the horrid deed, or had the fell by accident, humanity
would have ligated some refped to be faewn to the corps
of a Lady of her 'invaluable charaaer, and to the two
harmless infants thereby exposed amidst your army.
Neither of these yen did—That her lifelefs body did not
meet even with insult is not owing to your delicacy, but
to the humanity of two gentlemen not of the army. The
deed is therefore your's, and your army's. And that
every nation and every age may know it, the faithful page,
of hiftcry shall relate thetranfaaion, and the fame marble
which prefects her memory and perpetuates her virtue,
01111 so relate the flory of her death, as to shew Ameri
cans in what detestation they are to hold the name of
Hessian, Brion and 7@ry.
I am informed that you have near five hundred of Mr.
Caldwell's man: script sermons in your possession, many
of which. I have heard; to these he appeals, read them,
confider them well • who knows but one of these rays of
chrift^n benevolence and patriotic sentiment, that
breathes through the whole of them, may penetrate your
heart, and produce that contrition of spirit and unfeign
ed repentance, which may finally yield you a.comfort
able hope, which caa be produced by no other earthly
source whatever.
What orcid be experts by those daily betrayers of
your confidence the Tory Refugees, the very dregs of man
kind, by pointing your malice agaiaft that gentleman in
so particular a manner, I cannot conceive. Nothing but
flup : dry, blinded by malice and despair, could lead them
to think that, in a depute like this, any individual is of
so much importance with us, that his Jeftruaion Ihould
essentially ass & the common cause. No, thank Go I,
cur liberties nang noton so precarious a prop. Be no lon -
ger deceived: Depend upon it, that, however divided
aoout trifta and ceremonies, whenever you make the ex
perim nt, you will find us united in the grand effectial
point. Look on the sands that bind the ocean ; if a fu
ricus, refiftkfs wave mould remove one, another instant
ly ; # 'r,. its place ; what the ffibre loses in one part, it
gams m another : Attend, and be wife.
Yor Excellency has now made two expeditions in
force into the heart of this country, and what have you
gained that I have not mentioned : You have equally im
mrirtalized Briti/h cruelty, and the unthak^a united forti
tude, as well as the unparralled bravery of a free people.
You have erased, by the mod wanton deflruftion, net
only every Temfle of the Living God that came within
your reach, but you have deprived upwards of forty fa
miliiscf very valuabledwellings and other improvements,
and a much greater number of their personal property,
'to gratify your own and your army's thirst for plunder.
These things we do—we muff fed ; but can you be per
suaded tffat thereby you crush our spirits ? No they rife as
far superior to these feeble efforts, as your army by these
means fink below the character of men and of soldiers.
That you might have been convinced of the impolicy of
your eonJutt, I sincerely w:fh that yourfelf and many
of your inferior firebrands could have beheld the wives
of freemen, in the mountains, viewing their houses in
flames with heroic fortitude, with calm and ever smiling
countenances, re counting their various resources for future
fubfi fiance ; whilst their hefbands, routed to brave enthu
fi /m, pressed upon you in battle, and by the quick step
of your hafly retreat, more than repaid to these American
heroines the distresses of your sudden surprise. Did not
your judgment defect you, with your humanity, you
would know t^at by the cheapening of ife, you abate the
fear of death, and thereby make us more perfect soldiers.
You have now felt our pulse, and does it not rife with the
more ardent flame of liberty ?
A few months ago, When the revolution refpe&ing our
money was to take place, I had my own fears left it mig: t
produce an ill timed apathy among our people. Your
disappointed and-mortified politicians, gs was natural,
miilook this political ague for an apop'eaic, and waited
thefall of Charieftewn, as the important crisis for pro
diffing the last struggle.—Under this frenzy they have
prevailed upon you tocome out. The experiment has
happily removed my fears, and I believe began the cure
of your madoefs ; our misfortunes on one hand, and the
cruelty of your army on the other, have railed such a
spirit as has not been lately (ten in ter country ; afpirit
which will no longer tamely bear the lories and neutrals
among ourselves, no longer bear your infulcs with patience.
I could wish the gentlemen of the Britiffi army to.imem
ber they have unguarded tows on the iflaud of Gr^t-
Britain. The officers and refugees in your army have
wives and children among us They compliment while
they insult our humanity.
Great Britain is not without her arftnals, her yardsand
magazines. An Enflifh tongue, habri and manner , nry
produce more speedy ven;e&nc. than addreffrs to your
rea(on,or your honour. Remember John the F^W ,who
loft his house and effi&sat Amboy on he firft landing of
your army, and the defiruftibn of the dock yards at
Porifmouth. He was a poor can, without friends, a>-d
unafifted by public council or mo^y. I know that you
have too much reason to iaugn at our public appeals to
Heaven hitherto, on the fobjeQ of retaliation.- ^perhaps
we row fuffer deßrvedly for so base a profanation of sa
cred things.--- Would to God the misery had fallen on
those who are mft immediately the delinquents, we
should not know have had the necessity of affociaring in
important bodies for this necessary purpose. However,
you have now had your day, ours may not be far off. We
have been now taught to eonfider our property as only of
prefect utility, and that to tecore an,, all must be at the
pu lie service; the next attempt will convince you what
the whole personal firrngth of this country, as well as the
abundance of its supplies, can accomplish ---By this time
you are able to form force judgment of your fruitlefs in
vasion ; let down and count the crift, and from that cal
culatioh makean eflimate of what your requifitiona must
be to accomplish the cenqueft of the United States^ Be
honest in your information to your royal rafter, and con
vince him that neither his avarice, his vanity, nor his ob
stinacy, can possibly be gratified, even at the expence of
his three kingdoms, with the addition of his favourite
Hanover into the bargain.
If it has required the loss of more than four hundred
men to make two sudden and untixpeaed marches of eight
miles into the country, guarded by three or four hundred
regular troops in additi n to the natural firength of itsin
habitarcs, and, to hold thii space of country ten or twelve
hours at a time, what must be your force to make a final
cooqueft o' fifteen or sixteen hundred miles, and to pre
serve thefame. I now leave you tothathour which must
produce refleaion, and to those feelings which the cries of
inno ent blood, and th 1 remembrance of the blackest crimes
must raise; and mass fiticerely wishing that I may loon
meet you arm to arm. I am your's, &c
A CITIZE N.
Essex county, June 17, 1780,
From the Sefton Independent Chronicle.
/PICTURE of TYRANNY.
fr 0 warm our spirits in the great conflid for Free
-1 dom, we fh'ould often contrail it with Tyranny, and
refleft on the dreadful calamities that will be the por
tion of America if the Tyrant fhbuld prevail. Had the
people a view of the misery be. means to infh&, they would
want no argumentsto excite their efforts in defence of
Liberty. It is not easy to describe a feene so full of hor
ror as that of a people once Free, in the power of a Ty
rant. The moR execrable Tyrant cf Britain, has given
numerous inftante of his infernal difpofitioo, in burn
ing churches sacred to the Worship of God ; in burning
the houses of helpless families, and turning the aged, and
women and children naked into the ? wilderness, exposed
to froft, to hunger, and complicated misery ; in ft;ip
pi°g prisoners who capitulated for honorable terms, and
then murdering them with cold and starving ; in keep,
i^ff prisoners on bread and meat fc corrupt and slinking
that it operated like a jofon, and destroyed he men like
a pieague. By these means of tenure ariddath, four
teen luadred men expired in New. York in one winter !
Such has been, and now is, the character and conduct
of the Tyrant we oppose— and if he thusaßs the Damon
while conqurft is uncertain, what would he not do were
the United States in his power ? He would, in his black
revenge, fiudy for new tortu.es, and heap misery upon
misery—the wife and good who have fought and laboured
to save their country, would be the firft facrifices to bis
malice ethers would be banished to distant regions of
slavery—every instrument of death would be drunk
with the blood of.our mast worthy citizens -the surviving
widows and fatherlefs children, and weeping friends, with
the multitude of the people, being flripped of their li
vings, would be reduced to the extremes misery the i'n>
feroal heart of a Tyrant can devise.—Thus forlorn and
hepriefs they must wear out their lives in wretchedness.
This land would (warm with the vile 11 herd of pensioners,
insulting crows :officers, and malicious fories, and the
fair regions of America become a held of blood—a den of
thieves, and of every abomination—the virtuous would
pint away and die, while the creatures of the tyrant would
wanton in 'every accursed thing.—This is but a faint pic
ture es the roiferies th it await the Americans, if the Bri
tish tyrant Should prevail : What then ought to be our
conduct in the present day ? There is no other alternative
but to drive the enemy out of our country, and pre erve our
Independence complete, or fall a facrifice to the malice
of the tyrant, and fuffer all the miseries im pagination
can form. The whole people ought to think seriously of
their situation, and new ad with spirit and firmnefs ; we
have the most glorious hopes, if we aft well, add every
thing to fear if we neglect our duty. The public burdens
are great and severe; but success will plentifully reward
all our toil ; arid it is infini'cly better to spend our livetf
and fortunes in defending our dear country (even if we
liquid fail of success) than yield them tamely to the ac
cursed tyrant.—ls we do our duty in the cause of our
country, even the loss of it cannot deprive us of the hea
venly tat:sfa& on of eonfefous virtue. So great and inte
resting to mankind, is our righteous cause, that we have
experienced, and may ft:11 expefl, the fingularbhffings
of Almighty GOD upon us, if we continue our exerti
ons. If there is an object on eartu that deserves the at
tention of Heaver, it is a brave people struggling in the
cause of viirue; and kiflory gives us many firiking ex
amples of a small people having rtfifted a tyrant with fec
cefs, and made th¥mfe|ves independent. Within about
two centuries, two nations have atifer, whose circunr.
fiances were similar to th+fe United States, the Swiss and
the Dutch. They were like us oppressed by tyrants ,and
iik? us declared themselves Independent; their pref
peg offuc efs was by no means equal to ours; but by
persevering they finally triumphed over all their enemies.
Tne Swiss were a very poor people, but very rich in hero
ic virtue ; and after a long conflict, during which they
fought,fixry fix battle: they drove all ths tyrants out of
t?e;r country, and havegloriously triumphed in freedom
to thisday.
Sohrni and magnanimous was the Dutch, that they
maintained twelve years hot war, had great part 01 their
country deAroyed, fuffered vafi deffruAion of their i°eo~
ple by the war, by famine and by pefblenct , befictesha
ving about twenty th/uGod of their virtuous citizens
handed by the tyrants; yet they persevered, and finally
exterpated all the murderers of their country, and become
in a Ihort time one of the richest nations in the world.
Such wonders hath the spirit of liberty wrought. Audi
will the citizens of America ever think of defpar,
whose object is greater, and their profpea more glorious,
than ever was yet preferted to the view of mankind !HT
that possesses one fentimeut of honor or virtue, tnat feel?
one (park of benevolence to mankind, or has one ray of
magnanimity to animate his foul, will exert every nerve
for the faivatidn of his country, " nor waste a coward
thought on life?'
A SOLDIER.
In CO U N C I L,
Philadelphia, July 24, 1780.
WHEREAS a generous Subfeription hath bem
entered into, by the inhabitants of this city, for
the purpose of railing recruits to fill the Pennfylyania
line: W E do hereby declare, that a bounty of three
Half Johanneffes, a compleat suit of cloaths, and. two
hundred acres of land, will be given to every able bodied
man, not under 18, nor above 45 years of age, (except
deserters, ptrfonersof war of every kind, or seamen) who
will voluntary enh.fi to serve during the, war. All Lieu
tenants, Sub Lieutenants, and Officers of the Militia, and
other well difpefed persons, are hereby requested to use
their utmost influence, in their several diftrids, to encou
rage and promote the design aforefaid, and ffiad for their
trouble in so doing, receive two hundred dollars for eve
ry recruit that shall pals muster, if delivered to Colonel
Nicola, at the barracks, in this city, who will also pay
the bounty.
And as it is probabe that there are many deserters from
the Pennsylvania linelurking about in this city, and in
divers parts of the country, any perlons therefore who
will apprehend such deserters. fhal|, upon delivering
them at the barracks to Col. Nicola,. receive One Half
Johannes, or the exchange, at sixty, in Continental mo
uey, together with all reasonable charges.
Extract from the Minutes,
T. MATLAC K, Secretary.
X^k^^XX^xmX)O%X
Philadelphia, July 7 , 1780.
gTRAYED or STOLEN out of the
pasture of the fubferiber, latt Saturday night, a dark
forrei HORS E, -about fourteen hands high, seven
years old, trots and paces, rem rkable short hair on big.
near fide, shows his tore foot on the fame, with a small
bbzcn his forehead. Also, a black MARE about thir
teen hands high, fix years old, trots, h's a remarkable
wart on the right fide of her nofcil, ai lage as a Wal
nut. Whoever takes up the said herfts and fecutes them,
to that the owner may have therii again, shall have
FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS Reward, or TWO
HUNDRED for either of them, and rerfonabe charges,
by GEORGE REHN,
Living in New-ftte'et.
T O BE SO L D,
FOU R hundred acres cf goodfand; in an sgreak
ble neighbourhood, fituaWd four milee from the
river Sufquthannah, in Wi&fofkaw valley, adjoining
to Mc'lncango mountain, well uat^red by a large nte
ver-failing spring, ri6ng in the mountain so high, that
it may be brought over any part o' the land, with feve
rs! other good ftreamsof water. For terms enquiry of
Mr. BENJAMIN HARBESON, in Market street, or
to Mr. ROBERT TAGGART, near Donegal Meet
ing house, Lancaster county.
July u,