The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1779-01-05 00:00:00, page 2

ffl Whith he ^ now Employed in publicly vin
dicating, and rescuing from the malace of his adver
saries, in which he cannot fail of meeting with the
good wishes of the virtuous part of the community.
Ta become the ob,eX of, malevolent persecution,
it teems Sufficient for men to have been he foremoft
in contending for the liberties of their country, to
have been distinguished with ah early confidence,
and to have been called aipongft the firft to the charge
of places of important trust; to have thereby flood
in the way or ambitious, avaricious, and crafty
men ; to have been a check and restraint upon a
thirst of p ow er or gain, which so fatally prevailed in
fom, oi "' e departments ; and made it necessary to
dilplace m ^a who were obstacles to the gra= bcation
of the inotdmate appetites of those, ag^inft whole
Wiles and clamouis innocence is but a weak defence
and merit an infufaaent proteclor.
Full time it is, for those men who have fstt^ed
from their arts, and fi.iifler pr^Lces, to step forth#,
and endeavour to convince an impartial world, how
mfuffici=nt the greatest indufiry, virtue and integrity.,
have been to flicker them from the floras of envy
and defamation, which have been raised it is hoped
tn vain, to pverwnelm them. It may be pref.med
that the (pells of private influence and barefaced cla
mour have now nearly spent their force, and tha.rhe
minds of the people so long abused by the ,reffeft
falfohoods and m.freprefentation, now freed from
the Magic charm, are capable of diflinguifh+ng be
toi%: groundlets, unsupported assertions and plain
matter: of fa&, that red on the fare foundation of
"T^X^ of the ffr though
innocent, to be pitched upon as the foft viaim to be
Sacrificed, in order to amuse and pacify the people,
on a barbarous (apportion that the common people
require such Sacrifices to be made to the public mis
fortunes :misfortunes, the produAon of which, he
had no fare, but on the other hand devoted
by the must vigorous exertions to prevent Nor has
it fallen to the lot of any man, however drhngu
ed by Superior rank or. talents, to have experienced
in an higher degree, the united frits of rancorous
and unjust men, in a persecution that bes no equal.
This he by no means presumes to place to the ac
count of merit, but to having had it in his power,
more than others in more elevated flations from his
being intrufted with the disposal of public monies
and a power cf appointing, and difplac ng a great
number of persons, to open and (hut 'be door again
venality, corruption, and an unbounded profufion
in a very important depar ment :to check the or
wardnefs of aspiring ignorance and prefurnption,
and to lead and encourage merit ; but was so blinded
to his own interest, and the (miles, frowns and in
fluence of others, as regularly to perform what his
duty exacted, and what be esteemed the service of
his country, to any felfifh gratification, or to an
empy popularity, that he might easily have acquired,
at the expence of bo our, or breach of public tru .
He has therefore considered himfelf as called upon
by Providence, to be one of the foremoft to demand
a public inquiry and in fteping forth for the defence
of his own character, and a ' an example and encou
ragement to others, in vindication of theirs, boldly
to encounter this many-headed monster of dander and
fentioufnefs, ever glutting, never, fat rated,, that
trampling down all before it, Seizes and mangles
the charters of such distinguished persons as pre
fect, and likea giant refrefhed with wine, rises with
new vigour from its sordid repast.
With a view to answer this great and important
purpose he hopes he may lay claim to the candour
and indulgence of the Public and be allowed to call
for their attention to the several steps he,has already
taken, and shall further take in prosecuting the vin
dication of his much abused and insulted character,
in the fiation of Director General of the Hospitals,
and Physician in Chief to the American Army.
To effeX this, it is necessary to know bow it came
to pass, that a person appointed to the supreme
charge and direction of the General Hospitals, on
whose skill, attention and conduct, the health and
welfare of the soldiery of the whole army is (uppof
ed principally to depend should be dfmiffed from
that Ration, without a trial and without an hearing,
tho' earnestly and repeatedly called for, before it took
place, after he had declared “ That such had been
his attention to the orders of the Commander in
Chief and resolves of Congress, and such his vigi
lance care and aXivity, in the several duties of his
Ration, and his integrity in every branch of trufi,
as would have convinced every impartial person
how groundless were the complaints against him,
had he been indulged with the common privilege of
a freeman, of being tried before his drfmiffion took
place.",
Some men may & why has this defence been so
long delayed, or why was the matter fuffered to
Sleep ? HhanfWers, it was not Bwfflg (6 any Ault cf
his or want of application for a more feafondble
hearing as it is likely the Pubic Will be ful y con
vinced in the course of this Narrative and Vindica
tion. Too long have the artifices of evil-minded
perrons abused the credulity of the Public I Too
long were they enabled to prevent the voice of inno
cence, crying for justice, from reaching the ears of
the rational and thinking part of the community.
Ih the load clamours that were excited againfl him.
his feeble cries were not heard, or were no ways
likened to. In vam did he call for a trial, that if
guilty lie might be luftly condemned upon evidence,
and if or erw fe that he might be honourably, ac
quitted. The" away with him" was inceilant
ly shouted into the ears oftue people, nor were the
Members of Congress, who wiihed to oppose the tide
ofiuflae, ce, and to bridle the Spirit of fa&;on, by
taking equity and t' e eltablifhid laws of every civil
focity for their guide to hea both Sides and to de
termine. upon a fair trial, in the least hearkened to,
-9° this occasion. Liflead of this, the cries of vio
lent and unjufl men, who were inflant with loud
voices to Sacrifice hirp prevailed, as though on his
devoted head, depended the only fafety of the Ame
rican Cause ; and Congress, it seems, from the Criti
cal fta.e of affairs, whi6h arose not from b ; m, but
from the faults of others were on the general oom
plaints excited amongst all ranks of persons again*
him, by the contrivances of men, having more influ
ence than public virtue, reduced to the neceffi y of
giving lenience even as they required and to con
demn him, unheard." without having any one par
ticular charge against him."
To rhe good perple of rhefe Rates, who have been
m fled by idle tales forced for the purpose of de
cervine them, and have only likened to the clamours
against him, and not heard or attended to hi- defence,
this declaration may seem Orange, but if it is not
found to be confident with truth, he will readily
pronounce again! himfelf, that the treatment he has
met with, so injurious to his fortune, fafety and re
putation Was tender merty, compared to what he
deferred to Suffer. He dares to stake his l.fe on the
proof that those danders which have been so indu-.
ftrioufly circulated to his prejudice, of the sick hav
ing goffered from any negle& or mismanagement of
his, are antirely destitute of truth ; that he d.(charged
his duty faithfully and in , manner that merited ap
plause ; that Congress itfdf was born^ down or
forced to give way to the fform raised by a set of fac
tious men who, with barbarous clamours, required
his difmiffion, without having any particular charge
against him ; clamours that were excited by base ar
tifices, and carefully cultivated with a design to ru
in him in the public esteem undera pretence of in
teresting the humane in the (offerings cf the sick, to
which the imprudence, ignorance and mifman^ge
ment of others had given rife and the Blame was
fhifipd from them on him. The truth cf wbci he
will undertake to (hew io the conviAion cf every
impartial person, in characters so legible, that he who
runs may read.
But for that purpose he has to entreat, that all those
persons whose minds have received an unfavourable
impression from the malice and invention that have
been employed to injure him, fir ! divest themselves
of the prejudices which falsehood, misrepresentation
and fiction have made, nor believe affections against
himever fopofittVe. or generally believed, or with
whatever p'aufible circumflances drefTed in the leem
ing garb of truth, till they have heaid hs defence,
as well as the clamours of his adversaries, and
come to the inquiry with minds disengaged, and
open to the truth.
'He is now happy to inform the Public that Con
gress have at length been at leisure to attend to him,
and has appointed the Honourable M ffieurs Dray
ton, Harvey and Witherspoon, a Committee for
the purpose of examining into his condud in the
public service, and of tracing out the true causes of
the Sufferings of the sick in the army, during the
campaign ofj 776, and the clamours they produced.
He therefore once more openly invites and challen
ges every perfoh who has any thing to aledze against
the faithful d (charge of his public trust, as Director-
General and Physician in Chief, to appear before the
abovenamed Gentlemens with proper evidence in (up
port of their charges, that he may have an opportuni
ty of meeting them face to face, to answer their accu
sation so thatthe truth may be made manifeft.
In the mean time the indulgent Public are earnestly
requefte4 to suspend their judgement till the enquiry
is closed, when they will be made acquainted with
the result; and the whole of his proceedings in that
fa ion, and she several fieps he has taken xor tue jufti
fication of his character, as fir as can be supposed
to give fatisfaftion to the inquifitve and candid part
cf the community or so far as may serve for an ex
ample and guide to others in the management of the
To THE CANDID AND IMPARTIAL PUBLIC
Jtfß. Silas Deane having in his Aldrefs, in Mr,
Dunlap's last paper, thrown many d (honourable
reflexions on several persons highly trusted by Ame
rica, and & far diflant o anf.vfer for th- Shelves, 1
think it but justice to those injured charaXers, to re
quest that you will suspend you- judgments, until
the matter is fully iriveftigated by those whose im
mediate business it is and who are most likely to
be po£fe£fed of the means to cßablifh the truth, when
no doubt all the paries will receive their dug, whe
ther of reward or punishment, and the public good
be Secured.
In the mean time I hope you will take a view of
the several characters, from the conimencement of
the present contest with Ch cat-Britain : the par- they
have acted ; what they aye Sacrificed ; and what
were their probable profp Xs , and then I am fort
you will agree with me that the narrative is void of
probability, and bright 0 be Supported with much
better evidence then infinuatiens, inuendoes and
bare assertions.
As to the decency of the performance with refpeß
to ilia Body, to which America riialt always owe
ire fafety and harpinefs, I leave it to those whom it
mty concern. -A id the real friends to the md.p a.
deucy of Amer ca will Determine on the ptop^e.y of
such 1 publication, in the present Situation of our af
fairs. For m own part i so reverence the repre
sentatives of the people and 'ave so warm a concern
for the public welfare, that I had much rather my
netreft connexions Should foffer a empo ary injuG
tice, than offend the one or in the least injure the
ot tier,
I too, most sincerely w sh you to be on yourgnard^
Trust not proreffion- ; hea both sides, and judge
from well attend ad #
Francis lightfoot lee.
PHILADELPHIA, DECEMBER 7, 17^8
In C O N G R E S S, November 24, 1 78.
CONGRESS took into consideration tree R port
of the Committee of Arrangement, and tnere
upvn came to the follows . resolutions.
WHEREAS the Settlement of rank in the army
ofthe United Sia.es has been attended with much
difficulty and delay, inasmuch as no general princi
ples have been adopted and uniformly p rfued ; RE
solved, therefore, That upon any d Ipie of
rank the following, rule Shall hereafter be observed ;
2. For de erm ning rank in the continental line
between all Coloneh -and inferior officers of d ff rent
Stares between like officers of infantry and note of
horse and artillery, appointed under the antho y
of Congress by virtue of a resolve of the 16 i of
September, 1776 or by virtue of any tubroquent
resolution prior to tbefirft of January 1777 all such
officers (hall be deemed to have their cemm ffions da
ted on the day lad mentioned, and their relative rank,
w.th refpeX to each other in the continental line of
the army Shall be determined by their rank prior to
the 16 h day of September, 1776. This rule ffiall
not be considered to affeX the rank of the line with
in any State, or within the corp? of artillery h-rfe,
or among the fix een additional bat alions, where
the rank hath been fettled; but shall be ihe rule to
determine the relative rank within the par icnlar
line of artillery, so far as the rank remains unsettled.
2. In the Second instance, preference shall be gi
ven to the commissions in the new levies and flying
camp.
3. In determining rank between continental offi
cers, in other fefpeXs equal proper re'peA shall be
had to their commissions in the mili ia, where they
have Served in the continental army for the space of
one month.
4. All Colonels and inferior officers, appointed to
vacancies since the sth day of January, 1777, shall
take rank from the right of succession to such vacan
cies' m
5. In all cases where the rank between the officers
cf different States is equal or between an officer of
State troops and one of the cavalry, artillery, or of
the additional battalions, the precedence is to be de
termined by lot.
6. All officers who have been prisoners with the
enemy, being appointed by their S^e. and again
enter into the service shall do it agreeably to the
above rule ; that is to fay all of the rank of Cap
tains and under, (ball en~er into the fame regiment
to which they formerly belonged, and if such regi
ment is dissolved or otherwise reduced, they shall be
intitled to the firft vacancy in any regiment of th®
State in their proper rank after the officers belonging
to such regiment have been provided for.
Ceueral Hofpitil bepirfmcnt, arid the care ^f &
sick soldiery, shall be faithfully common rested.
JOHN MORGAN,
Philadelphia, O£otte r 1, 1778.