The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1777-07-14 00:00:00, page 1

The following is General Washington's Axfaer ts
General Howl's Letters, inferred in our lad.
Ganbral WASHINGTON to General HO TE.
Middle -Brink, June 10^, 1777.
SIR,
r 0 U R feverel lottos of the 21$ of April, nd of
My, and fb infant, have &<en rewind.
Having fa «d rc, fatistas tn an explcit man
ner, in ns, letter of she ninth J April n^sn the
fAjia ?f,eur dsmind, and the disagreement between ns. I
&u;ht it unnsetfar, to trestle „u with a r petition of them.
From the compile* f years of tae 21st if April, we up
,sored to Tffcr Je wtael, that I cendcertain no bep^s f
a cempremfs being ffiaed, or that an unfair would
produce an, good end.
But as yen have called „en mt again ,er mt final deter
mination upon the matter, Ifall jreri, givs it, a, ter mak
ingfome objervaiions upon what,on have Jaid, with in
tention to obviate the obj aient, on m, p-rt, to a compliance
with year demand through Lieut. Gel. Walcott.
You admit the principle upon which ne, obj apn ; to ac
count for the whole number of prifentrs font w fa ym, is
feund.d, but d% the application, b, delicately inflating,
in the fir, inflance, that the ill treats*! completed ej was
an r expedient to cherifo popular deltfm," and bj assert
ing, in she frond, that fapfag their Sufferings to have
been reri. tbs, wr: to be ascribed to other caujes then tbo4
affgutd by me.
1 fall not undertake to determine on whom tbs chargOf
endeavoring to incite popular delusion fills with mo, pro
prist, ; but I cannot forbear intimating, that however fuc
cefful ingenious mfol^urinp ma, be in [me iufiances to
perplex tbe under,aid ; ng is matters of Speculation, yet it is
difficult to perfuads mankind to xoubt the evidence of tbir
[safes, and tbs reality of thft fads for which the, cun ap
peal to them. Un^fs ibis can be done, permit use to nffwe
y,n, it will always be believed, whatever may be Jugg.fted
to the contrary, the min cefl net be in a more deplorable
fixation than tbofe un&a;„ foffirtrs w re, who are thefub
jas of ear dfftrence. Did 2 imagine that you Sir, bad
any ferieusfouplu on tbs eccafax, 1 n ght produce, in Ju§-
port of what I have allAgsd, the Jln%fl proofs that bu
ntal tefim&n, can afford.
To prove that the „fat's did not fuffirfrom as, ill treat
went or xgFa of yours, you fa,, " tie, were cenfi^d in
them, ai r , buitoug', and os board the large, trW^ts
in the fleet -.The; they werefqp isd with the (ami provifi
ons both in quantity and quali , as were allowed tyoer
trosps net ou ferwice Teat the fat fuel fhem as re
quiredpecuhar care, were receivers into the Briijb befi
tals, ad the rest attnded by their own furgro,, who
were fappli d with medicines without redriaions, til it was
difeouered that th#, differed of large quantities by private
fide.”
dbat air, buildings were chefen to confine our #en in. is
afaa I Jhall not nifpufe. But whether this was an ad
vantage or not in the winter fca/.n, 1 leave,su to de ids.
Isot inclined 0 think st was not - ff,sc ; allj as there war a
ge^er^l complaint, that tbs, were defitute of fire the greater
part of the time, and were only prevented frm fueling the
inclement, of the wearier, in in extreme, rigour by tbsir
crowded ft alien. Ibis I mu, believe was net very con~
deceive to their health, and if ve m , judge by ermparifos,
we muff conclude, tby endured Jimitar sucenveutentej on
bowd the transports.
As to the fu,plies ofprevifon I know not what they were.
My ideas of she matter were dra wu from sbsir united tefi
ms, cenfi-med by their appearance which reprefs&ed the
allowance es mfufficient in quantity, bad in quahy, andir
reguarly fervid. r?uyourfelf mention fme " aciue<tal
ci?c^Panw of onj,os."-—l cpprihmd they were much
more fr q^nt th, nyou were apprized of. It may not he
improper to Tirus. that tb^rs is * material differ, nee be
twsey firfas confnd and deprived of ever, means of fab
fiflawe in aid of their alowance, 6*« tlofe who are at
large, and have stbir referees, as is the case with pur
troops net onfroie, who have tl benefit es their p.„,
and whatth, ca* o-c^fi nali, gain by their labour. Yu
might alfefad/rgm e^q^ry, tba< we made no diflinaien
in ur fupc&s b<tws» ,ur fold ct, proven with us, end
burrow in she fie d. Thy tore %&tfitted to a fan, pit
sawn but hadfull as much v s th, could us, and of the
if tri
la reh^a so she utterion paid to thefik, fan for, tier
accs&acriiri was injwyd in 4 y degree by the wfa^dua
MONDAY, July 14, 1777;
CONNECTICUT
AND
WEEKLY
Containing the Frelheft ADVICES,
Printed and Published by EBENEZER BATSON, near the GREAT BRIDGE.
of be f*fgeons. I heartily join with you in re, rebating
their proceeding, ana JbAl %se^ it a favour, if you will
point out the perfas, audf^r^fe me wib fueb proofs of
their guilt L $ „„ „; 4 , be ,jffd of.
The more effiaua 1, to exonrateycurfelf frsm the conf
quen<es imputes to the neglea or id treatment fshe prfoners,
you tfrt that the, bmd eves, comfort and affiflancefrom
J^u. that,our fixation would aemit ; and that the, wan ed
notbirg but m;ne, and clo bs^§ which ought te have ban
fn/nijhed by we.
Hod we I'ftyMS prifners with us, to depend entirely
upon th: jup,;:n t,-„, drew immediately from you, their con
'steen wculd have been little better than that of ears, in
your bands. lour officers and foldisrs can both inform you,
that be, experienced ever, mark es public and private ge
nerf,that could bejhewn them ; frequent infantes might
be adduced, that on notice of,»ur men being in want, orders
were immediately given that rncgsries should be procured
for them. Ever, thing was done ox our part to facilitate
a^yflepsyou took for the fame end. You were permitted to
have an agent amo^g us, countenanced by public authority ;
and allowed ever, latitude be could wife to enable him to ex
ecute bis office. lam forr, to fa, the fame condua has x#t
been ffrved towards as, and that there are instances to
saw, that far from endeavoring to remove the Difficulties,
that nectfaril, lay in ear way to making fuels ample fupplis,
as we could wife, eifaclej have been made, that might
ver, well ba^ been waved. A late inflates of this is to
be found in,our refufixg to let ns have a procuring agent
witbyeu, who might purcbafe what was nectary to fop
ply the wants of our men. Y,u must be frfible that for
want of a regular mode being sufafedfer mutually convey
™g fup,lie's there was a xecsfli, for an excrcife of genertf
t, era both lides. This was text by as, and we fnfrfed
wruld have been done b, you, which made us left auxins
in providing c+ct we fauld have been, bad we forefeen
what has reel, happened. We afoibed every dftisuc, on
year part to the undeterminattfouation 'f affairs in this ref
pea ; and, locking forward to a mere provident arra^p
ment of the matter, we thought it our duty not to let the pri
fixers with as, be dfitzt, of «%, thing rsqwfiiefor star
,rfervation ; and imagined that yew reasonings and fid
tegs would have b CT the fame. Yur faying
we were frequently advfed of their di,refs, is of little
aveil • Is was not done until it was too late to remedy the
ill confftcss of tbs pa, xegha, and till ear prifontrs
were acrcag reduced to a mfr&ble cxtrsmi,. I wife their
juffort^g} may not have been mererfed, in the article of -
cipabtxg, by tbetr being deprived of what they bad,
through she rapacity of see msn, of their captors; reports of
ths itrad have net been wanting
lonfarther observe that m, own experience would fe
g,, whether oar army, in the courfs of the la, cumpai,,
was not Ju fa to the fame calamitous mortality with the
phases s*jt%r pff/itn. I caneot but confefs, that A)*rt
was a great degree of fioknefs amrag us ; but I can afire
).u, soot she m&rtatit, here no kind of refrablance to ?hat
winch ws experienced by the prifonere vrtb yen, ofa that
t^e difeders in the cans, bad nearly csajed before the cap
tivit, if a lerge proportion of them, Tee garrfathat fell
into,our bemas, on the 16'b of Nsvraber, waijsund, I
am convinced, in geon health.
In re,l, to m, in illation, that it would have been happy
if the expedient effriizg out eu r men bad been earlier
tb+ugbt of, you areplsflfd toj^y that the event has proved
the caution with which you ought to baws adopted the msg.
Jure. What inforace can b drawn from mj refuting to ac
count frprifoners fear cel, cliv, and by no means in an ex
cba^geabie cbxditim, to warrant cm infountion that IJhwld
have none the f&^s, bad thy bcm relerfsd under dfront
circuuflaxces, let ,our own candor detrmine,
But then you «Jk " H^v is tbt ctufo of debility in „i
---fur> to be after ta'ned P" This firns to be couf&red &s a
perplexing quo,ion- Fe* , port, Icadnc view it as in
vAving ««, great difficult,. Theft is no mwe familiar
m de of rearing itofrom fas to causes, cv-n in mat
ters ofthe &fl interning importance- is the fuljffl before
us, the appearance of the prifners. and what ev xtwall,
baft,seed, proved that they tad been bardly dsslt wish, but
thsir joint afrocratims aided b, the information of ethos s,
net i&terefa is the d/frs s mere than as they regarded the
rights of bzaauit,, tfablfad the fed too firmly fir incre-
Gulit, ifelf to Aubt.
Ifcxli hardly belisve yen to be frieus in ys^r c,,lica
ties efthe exception, so which you allude, 19 th efe of
Mj?r Gone?al Let, if ,-u bid not perfi&din a diferrihv
tien rJpiAQ him. I d.d net entertain the ms df«o
THE
w^w^o #
Both FOREIGN and DOMESTIC.
[The following is taken from tbs Nw Yark Rsy^l A^fl^
iica% G z^ta crimed by |^& R ±er<& ]
NEW YOR K, fans 5,
Mr. PRINTER,
Ptaft to give ^h< f)l^i?^ ^^'a^ in year paprj
which will max only cblifc ^ fri^ d, butgi^a ycur rta
cere a co&vi^mng puftf t^ i»fi&uo, ratau firm
gem# whic^ hive b^ uftd b, so l^&e us th® Rebel
Army, to fudges the faithful H^ani fiera their aile^
g'^% A. F.
C& *f S larirfat by aflag es truce, frra % Firnun»
Brigadier General in the Rebel Army, to Crioud Lejs
berg, commanding officer fthe Heffiux troops at Rhode-
IJlaid, dried lisas ^artsrs, Tiverton, February
^1777. ~
SI R,
^HE afce^df^cy of vice, the cra^te! at p^ffiot ad
&i@, h^v® r*h& # ?d war maedfo, &^d la .. # fal.h
cannot precede aa adea! tyti&^y gad zrgfiifal < f<rpa~
rarisa which fappofad a clawed. Repiifala a.e fii
qu-wly cueaCed with declaratives aad codfequeuill
Bcdiiiries. T^ cauGi <f humanity ; the i^poswt.CT
cf civil feci^ti^^ ra^kt th^a pre requifitta f^ ^uch
eftaemed by the law cf nature. Religi^x, id it#
matchiefs &vug@ric 'if,lay, oci.e as to rn u^iierEl
philanthropy, aad caaiq^aßpy ect to Ivy war but
fecmafiffi^.Hai^\s,^Amita rutfurts b^.^ tidepte
ad by the ;P iace of H ^ Caffid, ia~^<fcg his tree pa
ta Ataxic# ? What complains, ^hattie, what bruch
of faith, eh^t ifrrj, wh&t national mw& s&hi^ t^
IT fife C&ffd aid America, a^c^ic^ ,@ ur rav^s iMt
this ccu^ry. Two coeatr^, ewa territmta, kieg
d<m, or flatus, rot u:i'td by ^QiricA £fr ulnior, tri
like two iraditi' aJr i^ ^ fete of Ri u c# gq^Hy if d^,
md.^t. Th fcft vwlatio, ^^q^^ z^t^r,^b
b^ry, :r rfcdv. B; every \o^a, by hv^v I^, y<^
sts carifo 03 vU^Yfvt fnCice, la, the iTxi nA es
Arae '•^ r% ^-dtmtf ead ^r%c% ►&,s c, uf:d
yenr ^tuhd ^o^f, c^rie^ in rw „ { ff flj ^, t , i&fa
UN 5 fare's ri i^tri m t^lich ig.^^h ^ r&e <v-
idea, that be cou d have been fu„eftdto c,m? under the dif
cripiion contained in it. and to force such aemfituaion upon
that geKthmau's circu^fastra, however is tt y be ax evi
dence es ingenuity, is but an in/iffinm Jpecimsn sf candour.
Ifill adhere to what I have cJrerij edvauced on this bead,
and can by no ve^s think f departing fam it.
I am now to givsyeu myfinal cLcifan on she fulj a of
your demauds. ft detig this I can little more than repeat
what I have already J,d. lera extremely dfotus of a go-,
neral exchange on liberal red impartial principles, end it if
with great concern Ifed that a stater so r&ually intertf
%%& is impeded by uxueeffey ebfaclet. But I cannot cesfext
to its taking place ox terms Jo diJadvattagerus as tkefyen
propefs. aud which appear to &Jo contrary to j ifice azd
thsfpirit of cur agre^H^t.
I think it proper to declare t!at I wfo the dffrcr.ee be
tween us to he ayufled on A £Ckctu: odsqwt&& plan,
ari mean net to avail x?,felf of the rehefomt of th „i
---fixers, to extort an, rising free yen net compatible with tie
frißef justice. Let a reefonabh prepertiox of prifners, t@
be accounted fir, be fettled, and General Lee Declared ex
changeable, when we Jhall have ax officer es years of equal
rank in our ptffliox ; last no msre. Tbefe being done {
fall be beppy to proceed to a general exchange But, in rhe
mean tints, I am willing that a partial one fauid take
place for she pri&ers new sxjear bands as far as tbofe i*
cuts will extend, except with rsfpca t> Li.set. Cel. Camp
bell and the Htfsau fold <ffisro, who will be detained till
jexreccgxizi General Lee a prfiner f war, anaplace bra
on the footing I drim.
Thefituati.it of Lt. Cel. Campbell, as r-prfated to you,
is facts as I neither wifadner approve. Upon the frf in.
timatiox es his ce^plaOTs, 1 wrote upon tut Jukjs& crJ
hoped there woud have been no farther cauJe f uxeafofs^
That gentbm&n, lam psrfaa&sd will de me thejufice to
fay, he has received no ill treatment at y infarce. Unne
c'foryfcvuiy and putr)Jpeciri of ivjult I dfpife, and /
trufi, trees will ever buvejuf reafox so ce^ure me in this
rejpa. I have wristex cigrin on year remoefraxes, axA
no doubt Juris a line of cerium will be adopted, as will b#
coffens with the dilates f humanity, and agreeable td
both bis andyour wiJhc?.
lax, Sir, with due refpeß,
four most Obeaieutfrvaxf,
G. WASHINGTON.
His Exed'eac, General Sir Wrilim Hews.
NV MBE R 6sfi
COURANT,
HARTFORD
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