Star.
London, England, 1804-09-22 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR.

Sta--. According to my promife in your lull, I art
now to difclofe the fecrets of our military faith, and
before I explain how thefe came into my polleffion, it
may be proper to remark that there is little cat& to
wonder at their not being before divulged, or at the
prevalence of a fyllem which has Gunned the tell of
reafon, when we refleel that all the teachers of fu.
perftitious and ahfurd perfuafions have only prefented
their forms and rifer for obfervance, and that the more
abfurd the belief, the more merit have the devotees
in all ages fatisfied themfelves that they have derived
from adhering and converting to it.
Among all the Britifh (oldies, who have fallen
viaims, there was not one more generous, gallant,
and carelefs of his own safety than my late coufin,
Colonel Dasaorrooomy. Long before thole were
made familiar to the eyes of the vulgar in printed
publications, he had learned and trained himfelf to
follow with a precifion from which, in the face of
grape Got, under the fire of riflemen, or in pufhing
through ravines and thickets, or over hills and en-
clofures, be never deviated one inch, the fyftem
taught in the celebrated compilation of General
At the outfit of the American war, he was
again found with the !brawft in the ferviee of his
country, as he had been through the glorious cam-
paigns of the preceding in Germany, where, in com-
bating a foe who then fought pretty much on the
fame fyllem, his belief of its all-fufficient efficacy had
been confirmed by fuccefs to enthuliaftn. At Bun
key's-hill, he gloried in the praelice. while he wept
over its martyrs, his friend the brave A BERCROMBY,
and many others of his melimates and companions
who had there charged from one mud wall to ano-
ther with equal courage and order, but only found
the enemy in the fatal fhot.

Some time afterwards, when lefs devotedly mag-
nanimous leaders were preparing a part of our forces
to contend with the Americans according to their
own mode of warfare, the apprehenfion of fuch apof-
lacy fo afteifted his mind and health, that he was fay-
ed from the difgrace by a difiemper which fent him
home for acute. At the breaking out of the lett
war, the preponderance in the coalition of our Ger
man confederates left no room for any fear of the
fame kind. and he flew again to arms with revived
ardour. May his virtues be ever loved and held in
veneration I He would then even have facrificcd his
Military faith, and met the murderers of Louis with
the refolution to avenge the innocent blood flied in
France, and to print& true religion, loyalty, and to-
cial order through the world. without regard to line,
colomn, or meafured Ups Nothing to painful was,
however, required from him. It was laft to the Ja-
cobin anarchitis to aft according to &auk's; and
eircumfiances. and to clog their exertions by no rule
inconfiftent with there. As he bad never Bed before
the enemy, and never was called upon to Wail
them, but according to the letter of the rules. no
wonder that fuel; a man as he became an example to
the army. It was with the allies chiefly that he now
(creed. At left he was trailed, in reward of his he-
roifm, with the arcane and creed of that tram, from
which, in alien, he had never deviated. Thefe be
made his favourite ftody, and carries; a copy of the
text, with his own commentaries, in the fame catket
with the work I have before mentioned, wherever
be fought. In the battle of Fleurus (I than never
name it without tears), he led his battalion, who,
with him, never knew what it was to be afraid, to
execute att order, to diflodge from the copies, in
clofurcs, and lanes of a hamlet, the enemy's parties,
who were firing from thence en tiraideurs very de-
ftruclively upon one wing of the advancing army.
His difpofition was fuch, that in a charge be would
have driven double the number he was fent to at-
tack, and that they could have made no impretlion
had they charged him. In both views it was fruit-
lefs, according to the unerring rules of German war-
fare. But they had heeded thofe no more than a
(warm of hornets would have done. At firft a loofe
fire from the cover thinned his ranks, which doled
immediately and Readily moved on. Then, as they
approached the thickets, a heavy and deadly difcharge
met them, which Rill left enough alive to penetrate
without eonfufion. But, alas 1 this was only at-
chieved to procure a glimpfe of the feattered retreat
to other linker. Thus it fared with the Colonel in
polliffion of the guns, which had fired grape (hot
upon Isis battalion at each fucceffive advance, until
it was worn out, and few remains could no longer de-
terve that name. The fire of the French then got
into his rear and all around, and. after many wounds
he fell with his fword in his hand ; and, with his lag
breath, bequeathed it and his catket to me, his heir
at law, at whofc farm he had (pent many of his days;
of peace, and where it was his delight to teach me
all he knew of " war'. vaR art," milling his faithful
fervent, who furvived, to wins& that be died as be
had lived, without fear and without reproach.
I mean to purfue no farther the Wary of that
engagement, tot which my private misfortune with-1
chew my attention frotn that of the public. I have
been told that where my eonfin fell, the French isn-
mediatery afterwards deferted the ground, havingbad
no other intention in that quarter but to bleed and
walk, and difurder the allied at my, which they ac-
complifhed fo completely as to ditable altogether
that wing from making any impreffion, while they
.n turn attacked the other and the center.
Erzry thing that had belonged to him was inte-
refting to mc. In the canto I thought that I traced
the caufe of his fete. The creed for which he bled
appeared in the form of a catechtfm, from which I
sill only at prefent have room to !late that the firft
queftion is, What is the chief end of a litldier ?"
And the anfwer, "To die, or to be killed." From
this principle the whole follows in the moil conk-
quential manner imaginable, and all the rules and
iiluirations in afloat praitice among us appear to be
Lotly deduced.
1 propofe lion to tranfmit to you the molt mate-
rial of there, but I beg leave inilantly ta enter my
meat agaiaft the principle itfelf, and to infat that
the objet ought to be "se Ell sr conquer the twiny,"
which I hope Come one acquainted with their mode
of fighting will thew us how to do, although they
liquid continue to be fo unmannerly as not to wait
flr the charge of our columns, and foinotimes to af-
t.il there like a difordeily rabble whenever opportu-
L tv ferves ; and at others, to form regularly, and
up..n them unprepared, without gising fair no-
tice. A TIONAII OF ATISFIIILS.