Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1805-04-24
rnom THE charleston COURIER.
LIEUTENANT soMERS.

LLEOIEJWd.NT' SOMERS.*
! As much as we lament the death OF the
late gallant SoMERs, it is, when we consi.
der the melancholy circumstances which
attended il, much more 10 be deplorcd.
had ne fallen by the sword of the enemy,
he would have found indeed a less heroic
death, but one, which humanity would
less regret.--oae, which would have left
his friends more consultations, than the
splendid page tina, shall be written for him
IN history. War was eyer wrong, peyer,
fthcless, IL mus be suffered, until Batioos
submit their cupidi,y TO moral and natu.
raj law. If the customs which il sancti-
ons leads to actions inconsistent with di.
vine commandments, an individual thus
misied, may IN human Judgment be absol-
we'd OF CRIME, and his death alone be &C,
tcounted as one of The atonements which
Cod requires of man, for The dsobrdlence
oil his laws. SoMERs lived like a ch,is,i.
an yet, when he contemplated The bar
cariiy OF the foe, and the disastrous conse.
quences which would attend the suryiya,
OF ms enterprise, he esnbr aced those p,in-
eiPIea connsensnced by war, and died Ike
an officer. Ii he yielded TO the s.,,tbu.;.
! asm that seeks voluntary death, ia al rash
courage hich usu,ps the right sf ,-ic-
immols;ioH. and that love d lib, RI, wh,cb
prefrfs death TO slavery, IT vas because
he thought th,n vir,ues without which
iso one could be hero, a. d .deyo,d &C
which, he gould moi in the existing war.
| IL {, faithfully serve l5s country.
J Over the HIVES OF his brave associates.
ne however had not the delegated ,iob.
OF .ar, aud %e believe it would he ;,,;,,r
''ce {" h's memory nos to believe h,. he
neither CLAIM d, not exc c, sedit. SoMFs.
though Desperately brave was vel sens'
! rous and humane. 3ooner WOMB. ne he
declined the honor that he did scctp. .asd
rave tofesone the opportnni,yo o: acu,l;r;oee
glory, than commanded me l,yes Of he
men; sooner woulu he hive committed
solitary suicide, than carried along w,ih
HIM oae unwilling comtads. No. no
cloud Ike this obsCuIes MS plnrv. %, b,dax
the fame his seifdevoted co.opan;ons-
they too s-pired ike their eai.sn, leader.
and with him shared in the comniss,op oF
the deed.
Although ina moral view, we have dis
approved of the principles that occasioord
this sad catastrophe, we cannot suffer ,h-
worldly merit OF Il to be Iessened by as.
crioins to mischance, what was the mr..
meditated resolve of an invisible sp,,;t-
When the war against Tripofi cnnliue,.
ced, KFcHARs SoMERs, and the writer oP
this article were fellow officers. They baI
been together ct school, parted es friends
and met again in friendly intercourse.
Then 1t was that SoHKRs asserted win
GU vanity, or idle boasling, that "an Off.
Ger before he goes out should make un
ms mind never to be taken alive If. said
he. my men nil nos ogree 10 6lo1y the oesseE
IN, the dirk or pistol shall end mn life.
The writer at that time believed somtRS
1 70 be sincere IN his declaration, because
he kaew the hardhood OF MS nature. had
Witnessed the ardor with which he enter.
ed the juvenile iistsiof Combat, to cone
With 'uperior size and rength, and bebeid
"is intrepid obsiinacy, IN the unmatched
contest; aud when he rec Heels. S,at in
ne OF these youthful engagements, Wien
ioseTPowered and exhausted SoMsas tx.
claimed, strike OIL will never give
cut" he readily lealiSes the hand ihas pue
the match TO his 6reshlp. and was blown
up before the walls OF rpOh.
! These arc facts, tina, every one who
enjoyed his intimacy viii accredit; and n
the more direct testimony OF Capt Par
| Six be allowed us weight, we mus, he.
lieve that RICHARD SoNHas vo,untarlv
persisted; though religion and humsn,,y
iorb'G his example TO be emulated.
Late Commander Of one Of ne 6resffas