The Columbian informer, or, Cheshire journal — Keene, N.H., 1794-08-12 00:00:00, page 1

Extrad of a letter from the Secretary of War,,
to Major-General Anthony /Payne, dated
War Department, March yfl, 1794°
«' It is with great pltafute, Sir, that I
transmit you the approbation of the Prefa
dent of the United States, of your conduct
generally, since you have had the com
mand,and more particularly for the judi
cious and military formation and disci
pline of the troops —the precautions you
appear to have taken in your fortified
camps, and in your arrangements to have
full and abundant supplies cf provisions
on hand. Continue, Sir, to proceed in
this manner—and your fucceis will be
certain."
True Extrad from the Records of the
War-Office of the United States.
JOHN STAGG j un . C. C.
GENTLEMEN,
THE bate and cowardly Attack upon
the charadcr and conduftof Gene
ral Wayne, which lately appeared in a
Virginia paper, and has since been repub
lifted in several others, is so replete with
feurrility, as to afford an antidote to its
poison, and render a refutation hardly ne-
Ceffary; was the author of the slander
known to its object as the latter is to the
firmer,he would probably be treated with
intent cbntempt, or receive the reward of
his virulent abuse, from the foot and not
from the sword ofa foldiur who is too
brave to draw it Rgainft a palrroon, or to
Sheathe it when attacked by true courage.
-—From a thorough knowledge of Gene
ral Wayne, I venture to pronounce the
author of Stubborn F^fh, a rancorous af
taffin—and, his productions to.be as falfe
as his heart is venomous.
General Wayne, alter having fought
And bled in his country's caafe, from the
frozen lakes of the North, to the burning
finds of the sooth, was fele&ed from a.
raongft his former brethren in arms, to the
chief command, againit a bold and savage
tenemy.
The President had seen the officers of
the lace army tried in various fecnes of
difficulty arid danger. Their refp#aive
mseriut were well known C # him, end if a
better choice could i@ his opinion have
been made, General Wayne would not
have been preferred. His activity, his
zeal, and his success has justified the* ap
pointment. He had raw materials to work
upon ; and by a drift but necessary difei
pline, he now finds himfelfatthe*head of
A final! but gallant army. The brave he
trained and disciplined, and the coward
and the worthless he cashiered or drummed
cut cfhis camp. In their vagrant date,
they cr their hirelings, and fame others of
the like principles, feign Stubborn FaSt,
while the General is infufing his own mar
tial spirit into his soldiers, and preparing
to meet the enemy. That he has cendua
ed himfelf with great good conduct since
his appointment, appears from all well au
thenticated accounts from the army; that
the President with the foff means of judging
of hit condud, is highly pleased with it,ap
pears by the following extract of a letter
written by his direction :
No. 20, of Vol. ll.]
GENERAL ^AYNE.
And the more eftdoally to root out
any prejudices that may have arisen in the
minds of-fome, from the piece called Stub
born Faat, we present the world with a
letter to the Secretary of War, from Gen.
Scott,who most certainly has a good right
16 know whether General Wayne merits
Qufure or applause, he not only being
the commander of the Kentucky volun
teers, but alto resided in that quarter,
From the American Daily Advertiser.
u/t^ce/lamy.
THE
Columbian Informer;
Or, C HESHIRE JOURNAL.
PRINTED and PUBLISHED BY HENR IT BLAKE, ^CO. in KE Ed! E, New-Hampshire.
[ der to make the necessary arrangements
Irefpoaing the volunteer# of Kentucky, du
, ring my flay I found him with great so
; briety arid extreme attention to the duty
of the arm/, from that time until the roth
of Of>obcr, (at which time I joined him,
we kept up a constant correspondence
relative to my duty, in which 1 found him
clear and pointed in his inftrudions.
From about the 2o:h of October until
the sth of November, 1 was almost con-
Handy with him, during all which time
he paid the most unwearied attention to
every, the molt minute thing polfible in
person.
Notwithstanding all this, I wasunbappy
to find some difeontent in the army,wheth
er it was owing to the change of difei
pline, the difference between garrison and
field duty, the hardness of the duty, or the
unequivocal orders inforced, I cannot fay;
they were all fpokenof unfavorably byfeme.
However, so far as I am able to judge,
taking every thing in view, the army was
conduded with great propriety, never lo
sing fight of the public good, or the honor
of the aims of the United States.
I believe there is not an officer that ser
ved with me under General Wayne's or
der, but will cheerfully serve him again.
With esteem and regard,
1 have the honor to be,
Your obedient servant,
(Signed) CHARLES SCOTT.
The Hoc. Major General Knox, Sec'y
at War.
True copy from the original letter, on
ffle in the War Office of the U. States.
JOHN STAGG jun. Chief Clerk,July
nth, 1794.
It may be proper to add, that the report
which had been made by General Wayne,
to the Secretary at war, #as highly com
plimentary to Gqn. Scott, and the officers
under his command.
Read this ye calumniators, and blush at
your deteaion.
A FRIEND to TRUTH.
P. S. The Printers who have puhlilhed
the piece stiled Stubborn Fa£s»are requeu
ed to give a place to this.
Philadelphia, April 30, 1794.
• SIR,
It is with real concern that t hear the
reports in circulation here,ere very injuri
ous to the Commander in chief of the-Le
gion, and am not yet able to learn from
what cause they have originated.
Among other things it has been hinted
to me, that he has reported the conduct of
the officers, of the volunteer corps that I
hid the honor to command Taft campaign
very unfavorably—if so he has done them
injustice in not diferiminating.
To be fare, there were two iabaherns
thairaQaved ill, and deserved the highest
puniyQ jt—but I have too good an opin
ion of General Wayne, to suppose he ever
possessed a thought of damning a whole
corps, for the mifcondu& of two bad men
—I am fore there could be no cause forit,
nor„can I yefbelieve he has done so, until
I am convinced by feeing his rep'ort to you
on that head ; I hope there is no impro
priety in your favoring me with a fight of
it; there'ate many other reports in circu
lation here highly injurious to that officer
—I therefore think it my duty, .as far as
comes within m, knowledge,- |o do him
the justice he deserves. I waited on Gen
eral W^yrc the latter end of June, in or-
where any mifcondua cf the General
would soon be felt, and in,antly made
known.
Attempted Assassination of Roherfpierre and
Collet,
FRENCH NATIONAL CONVENTION.
Siting of the 23d May.
HE committees, of Public Safety
and General Security entered tie Hall,
TUE S D AY, August 12, 1794.
\ The name of the affiffin is Henry I'A
miral, he is of the dirtria of Iffoirc, aged
50 years ; he had a place in the lottery ;
he was in the service of Bertoq. L'Ami
ral habited as the counter-revolutionists
often are, tock lodgings thtee°moTths a
go in the house w^re Collot d'Herbois
ioeges, the better to concert the 'crime of
,'bich he was the prime agent. Here we
announce that our diplomatic intelligence
u^ys a close analogy to the present event.
'-/Here is the information given us by
one of our secret agents : " 1 again re
peat that the two committees of of public
fafety and general security cannot be two
much on their guard : There is a defiga to
assassinate the members competing them,
and particularly Roberfpierre." Pitt
does not forgive us our having eflablifhed
the Revolutionary Government—he made
his firft attempt on Roberfpierre. L'A
miral waited for him yesterday on the paf
fageof the Convention, in the very hall,
on the terrace of the feuillans ; not be
ing able to find Roberfpierre, he attacked
Collot d'Herbois, but the weapon refufed
to second the murderous design, and the
wall received the flag which was to deprive
the Republic of one of the most zealous
patriots.
amongst them was Collot d'Herbois. U
nanimoas plaudits teftified to him the
pleasure that his presence afforded to the
Representatives and the citizens.
Barrere afeends the Tribune, and fays :
It is in a fe&ion immortalized by the name
of a martyr of liberty, that a villain (truck
a Republican this night ; but this time we
have not to bewail the death of a patriot—
[ applauded]—The villains,friends to Pitt,
are lurking about us they waylay the Re
presentatives of the people even in their
dwellings.
Royal governments require crimes, af
fallinations ; their factions have perifned ;
their friends are punished ; their intrigues
are detected ; their -towns taken ; their
troops beaten-; they' are rot yet fatisfied.
Whit will they dp ? They will assassinate.
11 is against the "committees of General
Security and' Public Safety that their
blows are aimed : You will every where
find the fatal germin of the English spirit.
The gold of Pitt procured the murder
of Bsfville our agept at Rome, of the
Coriicans, of our "mariners at Genoa,
and attempted to assassinate Collot d'Her
bois.
From the answer of L'Amiral before
the revolutionary committee of the fedion
Lepelletier, it appears that he had long
premeditated this attempt, that be is very
sorry fcr having failed in it ; that it would
have been a glorious a&ion which would
have made him admired by all France ;
that it is a fad case for him to have
bought two pistols for 90 livres for that
purpose, and not to have succeeded ; that
if he had killed Collot d'Herbois and
Roberfpierre, there would ' have been a
fine feaft ; that he yesterday repaired to
the Convention ; that the reports not be
ing'intereHing he had fallen asleep ; that
he afterwards waited for Roberfpierre,
to assassinate him with a piffot, and then to
kill himfetf with the other, that he did not
think it a crime,but a praise worthy action
towards the Republic ; that not ha
ving been able to find Roberfpier re,
he waited for Collot d'Herbois till one o'
clock after midnight, that he had fired
two pistols at him which had both hung
fire, that then having gone upto his room
he took his gun and putting the muzzle
into his mouth, endeavored to shoot him
felf, that the gun miffed fire, and that
he afterwards fired the fame gun at
the guard thinking they would kill him,
aid had wounded a citizen named Geof-
Barrere then observes, that Geoffroy
who had. received , ball in the Shoulder
from L'Amiral will not die of that wound,
fibre was * tirtie said Barrere, when the
Pennsylvania.
PITTSBURGH, July 15.
Extras of a letter from a gentleman at
Fort Le Boeuf, dated June 27, 1794,10
his Friend in this town.
66 A DEPUTATION from the
Six Nations, confuting of
12 chiefs and warriors, accompanied b,
4th. This decree ihall befent to the
tribunals that they may watch the enemies
of liberty. This project was univerfall,
applauded and adopted.
Couthon caused to be adopted byway •
of Amendment, that the repay; of-Barre
re and the prcje& of decree Should be
translated into all languages and sent to
all the armies. Collot d'Herbois rose
and said : There are few inftanees of art
intrepidity equal to that of the brave Ge
cffroy. At the moment when the affa ffiri
declared that he,as well armed and would
make a long 'refinance, when a patrol
was going to enter and 1 was about to fol- .
I low them into the, ^Baffin's. room, Geof
froy held me and said " R the name cf
the people I order you tel flay here :• I will -
perilh or I will defiver up the'affaffin to
the sword of the law." • That good citi
zen is wounded. J move that the Preti
dent read every, day to the Convention the .°
bulletin of the wound of Geoffrey. —
There is not one cf us but exposes his
life for his country. • I have seen the mo
ment when6ut for a rAfracle I could not
have preferred mine; end I can fay that
in that moment .l-felt how pleasing it
is to have done one's duty.—(applaud
ed) I desire that my motion be put
to the vote. Itwas unanimoofly adopted.
Sitting of the 261 b Maj.
Barrere in the name of the committees
of Public Safety and cf General Security
made the promised report on the affsffina
tion attempted on the person of Roberfpi
erre the 21st of this month. The combi
nations of our enemies, said he are murder
and affaffinaticn. They have lately sent
us a new cerday. Her name is Aimme
Cecile Rcgnault, tfed 20 years, an in
veterate Royalist. She preferred herfelf at
the hmrfe of Roberfpierre, she was told that
he was not at home. She declared under
the former government when any one
waited on the King, admittance was im
mediately obtained. On this answer rhe
Citizens Didier and Boulanger asked if she
wished to have a King ? She replied that
she would give all her blood to have on?;
that we were nothing but tyrants. Being
brought before the committee of General
Security and being interrogated, to wit,
on what bnfinefs she had gonete Rober
fpierre's, she snfwered, tn fee bin ; being
asked whether she wished for a King, fte
answered that she preferred a Single ty
rant to 50 thousand, and I went to Rob
erfpierre's, said she, only to fee how a
tyrant looked. Two knives being found
about her, she was asked what use she
intended to make of them, nene re
plied Regnault, I do not wish to hurt any
one.
Here is the project of a decree : •
Ift. The Revolutionary Tribunal shall
prosecute without delay the crime commit
ted by Henry L'Amiral.againft the repre
fentarives of the people Collot d'Herbois
and fr.nll endeavor to difeover his accent
plices if any.
2d. The Convention orders that the
bulletin of the wound be inserted every
day in the bulletin of the Convention.
id. Geoffroy Doll enjoy a pension of
fifteen hundred livres.
4°;h: The Preßdent of the Convention
Ihall write to that good citizen ; a letter
of felicitation.
bulletin of the tyrant's illness was read
in the constituent assembly; we will to
morrow examine into this crime, and
read the bulletin of the wounds of this
Citizen.
)W^faVfr)VAftVflft^fr-
[Whole No. 72.]