Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-03-16

war had commenced, the government or Mas
sachusetts appointed me to various Offices -
some of them of no ihconsiderable Importance,
From these | WAS called by Gen. Washington
to the army under his command, which
Joined in June, IVY, in the Office of adiutant
general. In the preceding winter, | had
marched a regiment Of seven hundred men,
militia, from the county of Essex, part of 4
larger force from Massachusetts,, all under
the command Of General Lincoln, to reinforce
the main army. This winter campaign ter
minated in New Jersey, when general Wash
ington's head quarters were in Morr;stown.----
In September, l777, was fought the battle Of
Brandywine; and in October, that of German
town. In both | was by the generals side,
or executing his orders. In the close of l777
l was appointed by congress member of the
continental board OF war---aS were generals
Gates and Miffin. In this situation | served
until August 1880; when OF the resignation
of General Greene, l was desired to accept,
and received from congress the appointment
OF quarter master general in which Office |
continued to the end of the war. In this last
period, viz. n 1871, preparations were made
for the seise of New York but the French
mandeT in CHEF by going into the Chesapeake
bay. A British army under the command of
Lord Cornwal!is, was then at Yorktown in
Virginia. To capture this army was now the
only object Of hope for the residue of the
campaign. Having received the generals Or
dcrs, | provided for the march o. the troops
destined fer this service, and for the opera
tons ofthe seige Cat which was prcsent) i'll
what respected my department. The capture
Of Yorktown and OF another British army, in
effect, put an end to the war.
What is now the reward of these long con-
tlnued public services, in oitosAioa TO Great
S'ltain, and during the war, il the arduous and
important Offices which have mentioned -
TO be pronounced, by foreign reneGadoes and
homebrcd villains, Z" In old British tory 20
And why this reproach Because l did rot
loin the party, with Mr.. Jefferson at its bead,
which was constantly opposed to President
Washngton's administration. With that
party and my countrymen generally, re-
Ioiced in the prospect Of = free government to
be established in France: but l did lot shut
my ewes to the enormities of the actors III
the French revolution. And when afterwards
it became my Official duty; In vindication OF
the conduct and the honor Of our own
government a:d country, to state and display
the mjustica, the corruption, the outr&ges and
insults OF the French rulers, and the piracies
by them authorized and committed OF our COM
merce, did not attempt to conceal, to cx-
cusc, or make apologies for them. And
dropped some intmtions that our debt OF
gratitude to France, if not cancelled Ly her
attrocious insults and in iuries, was much less
than Mr.. Jefferson and his party wished to-
have YOU believe. But l presented things tru-
ly, according to my knowledge Of facts, and
to the best ofmy ability Hence became
obnoxious to the party, whose yepers then
set up their cry against me, and have e-er
since continued to growl and bark. Let the
watch word be given, Sc the whole pack open
upon me, from Maine to Georgia.
But it cannot be concealed, that Ihod other
re7vards-rHE MARKFD APPRECIATION OF THE
WISE AID GOOD, to whom personally, or by
reputation, nv real character was known
And Washington, who first called me to the
army and witnessed my conduct there
Washington, whose pure integrity and genu.
inc patriotism none dare question, and even by
euloglsing whom, now dead, his former enc
mics endeavour to hlch some little share of
rcnown. Usshington, when president of the
U. States, also called ME to series of employ
ments in civil life in 1871, to the office of
post master general, and in ,yanuary, 1875, to
the office of secretary for the department of
war. In August, 1875, he charged me also
with the department of state, of which in
December following / was appointed secre-
tary Here it is due to myself to remark,
that all these important and distinguished off,
ces, military and civil, were voluntarily con.
fcrred upon me. never directly or indi-
rectly, asked for one. If any of my friends
solicited them for me, never knew it. Ha-
wing at the close of the year 1901, returned
to my native state, the Legislature, unsolicited,
appointed me, III 1908, one of its senators in
congress; in which station have continued
to this tlme---as pcriod of eight years.
TIMOTHY PICKERING
The vindicaton here referred to, was con.
tanned in a letter dated January, 1877, which
wrote by the direction Of president Wash
ingtcn, to general Pinkney, our minister in
Paris. In that letter the subjects in contro-