The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-10-06

Ofenburg. Whatever thele papers may fay a
| to the charge againf Pichegru and Others, it j
mott unjuft that anyfirfpicon ihould, from them
extend to Moreau, or enter into the act of &C
| cutation againft him. His name is not mention
ed IN them more than three or four times, and
| always either to exprefs that he is not in the
confidence of Pichegru, or in recounting events
that have taken place. There is not in the
whole, one word from which an inference Car
be drawn that he was even tempered with
The Attorney General has not cited, nor will
he cite, any thing from them to fupport the
idea.
Why then has that officer endeavoured to ef.
tahiih iuch doubt; when not only are tliefe
papers devoid of any thing indicating Moreau
to have been involved in the plot, but WREN all
his conduct, at that epoch, contradicts even the
Poihblity that he could even have been 70 ? 1t
was at the moment of its exifence that he took
upon himielf the command of the army, to
guide 1t, during whole year, from one victory
to another, into the very heart of Germany, and
10 crown all his treafons, in a manner 10 iingu-
lar, by that wonderful retreat, which excited
the admiration of the odet generals, even a.
mongit foreigners and enemies.
Moreau was the accomplice of Pichegru
Happy wretch How ealily might he then have
contaminated his crime, even without mourning
the rifk of reproach He had only TO leave the
work to fortune; fine alone, in the midi of
Germany, in an unknown country, furrounded
by two powerful armies, would have been tuv
adequate to the deftruction of the French 1t
was only necenary that he illould not counter
act her. He had only to abftain from that eff
tort OF genius which no man living believed poi
iible. His army mutt have periihed, the trea-
ION would have fucceeded, and the traitor, who
had the wonderful art to conceal his perfidy
beneath the blandiihments ofrepeated and bril-
liant victories, would have been lamented, car
relied, and honoured.
Away then with this fooliih charge, which
gives the lie to the univerial voice of Europe
and againft which the national gratitude alone
ought to have been his guarantee.
But, at Leaf, fays the act of accufation, he
too long delayed TO difcIofe to the directory
the plot in which Pichegru was then involved
l. The papers feized could not be underltood
until they had been decyphered, which necefIa-
rlly occupied much time. No one was there
dehgnated by his name and the evidences of
their application when they were coated, ap-
peared 70 little Deceive, that thofe who feemed
to be implicated by them, being put on trial
were acquitted; and it is probable that even
Pichegru would himfef have been discharged,
If, nftead of receiving immediate ftntence OF
deportation, he had been fent to anfwer before
a tribunal.
9. This plot was to have been put in execu-
ton in the year 4, and it was now near the clofe
of the year 5, General Moreau commanded the
army he had every thing under his controul
he watched the fufpefed; he arrefted the in
triguerS tried and puniihed the .fpies. All
was rendered abortive, broken, deftroyed.
Thefe proceedings, and the victories gained O.
yer his enemies, will fpeak better for the diipo-
htlon infufed by him into the army, than any de-
nunciaton of its chief for having endeavoured
to corrupt if. could DofIiblv do
8. BehdeS, this denunciation mutt have been
directed aganft General Pichegru, fiyf the COM
mander and afterwards the friend of Moreau.
1t could have had no other confequence than
that of tending him few days fooner to Guya-
ma. But the projects concerted with the prince
of Condo in the year 4, and the fcheme of over
turning the government by the army, were mat
tiers very diftind from what were pailing in Pa
ris in the year 5, and all thofe trihing and mife-
rable diiputes between the councils, on which
the Directory, imbecile as it was, had only to
breathe, and they were annihilated.
4. Laftly, proof that general Moreau con-
Quoted himfelf properly upon that location, is,
that the public opinion, not informed of the cir
cumftances which drew from him the letter of
the 18th Fructidor, cenfured him with one ac-
cord for having written it. Let public men con-
template the capricioufnefs of Moreau's fitua-
ton; then universally centred for having de-
nounced Pichegru, even at that late day, now
acculed and brought to trial for not having done
it with more alacrity.
But let us at once put an end to the difculIion
of this odiouS charge, by an expreiiion, equally
diftinguiihed for reafon and dignity, which E.
f-aped from the pardonabIe impatience of Ge-
neral Moreau, when, at the tribunal, he REQUIRED
to this point-'' IF | erred, it was an error a.
gainft the Directory; which has iince been fuf-
ficiently expiated, by having gained thirty bat
ties, and faved two armies"
ITO be continued.