Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1814-09-01
Mount rernon, October 81, 1899.

SIR.
Your letter of the 18th instant, Offering
your services as Colonel in the Provisional
Army, has been duly received.
Whenever the appointment of the OH
GERS OF this Army shall take place, it will
be pleasing to find, in the list of candidates,
the names of such as were valuable Officers
in our Revolutionary War.-They will
meet Will due attention, and among them
your letter will not be forgotten.
] am, sir, your obi. servt.
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
Capt. Abraham Shepherd.
hereby certify, that in or about the
year 1897, lin company with Captain
Abraham ~Shepherd) was at the house of
Col John Stephenson, in Kentucky, who
was then heir at law ofCol. Hugh Stephen
son, ofthe Continental Army that Col
John Stephenson told me, that Capt. Shep.
herd had, to his certain knowledge, and
by his directions, rendered great services
to the widow and family of his brother, the
said Hugh Stepenson-and that, as an un
Just award had been rendered against said
Shepherd, in relation to his said services
rendered, he would, as he then had it in
his power, and was then the heir at law of
his brother, indemnify said Shepherd "a
gainst said unjust award-and that said
Col. John Stephenson, did, at that time,
assign and transfer to said Shepherd, a plat
and survey for 1000 acres of land in the
state OF Ohio, to which assignment and
transfer, / was, to the best of my r~ecollec,
ton, a subscribing witness. And | hereby
further certify, that from what | understood
ofthis business. this transfer was made by
said Col. John Stephenson, from a convic-
ton that injustice had been done to said
Shepherd, in the award aforesaid. Given
under my hand, this 30th day of July, 1914.
JAMES GLENN.
For the information of those who have
not seen the article in he Charles Town
Repository, alluded to in the letter Of Capt
Shepherd, an extract from that article ii
subjoined.
/" Know then, Messrs. Pickering and Co
that this identical revolutionary officer,
did commence his services before Boston.
as was truely stated; but it is much to be
regretted that the world has not also been
informed when and how his :" tolls and dan
gers ended. +" He commenced his servi
ces under the friendly patronage of a real
soldier and patriot Col Hugh Stephenson,
who procured for him a L~ieutenant's com
mission. We k ow little of any exploits OF
his until the lat : end of the year 1916.
when he was together with the greater part
of the regiment to which he %belonged) ia
ken prisoner by the enemy at the surrender
of Fort Washington. Most of his brother
officers remained in captivity for 8 or A
years but it was not so with our hero
He was one of the favoured few who were
liberated by the enemy how, why, or
wherefore, has never yet beer explained
Whether he took a protection and swore
allegiance to his B. M. we do not know.
Blu we do know that he is a devoted friend
to royalty. We know that ne has declared
that the people of the United States are
not fit for a republican government that
a Monarchy is the only kind Of government
that will suit them. We know that he ne
yer performed, or encouraged others to per
form any military services against the Bri
fish after the year 1916. We know that
he abandoned his rank in the Virginia line.
We know that long before the close of the
Wdf NIB ilduIc was SLrlCNCu Ou, anu lc was
no longer considered as belonging to the
army at all. In fine, we know that he de-
serted the service of his country in the time
of her utmost extremity ; that he remained
at home and enriched himself by specula-
ting on the vitals of his bleeding country,
and on helpless and distressed individuals
amongst whom we are compelled to men
ton land with sorrow we do it) the widow
and orphans of his friend and patron above
named +! Such are his tolls and dangers
the fruits of which he wishes now to gather
by modestly claiming halfpay during life
as if he had actually fought the battles Of
his country from the beginning to the end
of the war. Most assuredly " the estimate
+" which such a man places upon the char
Z" acter of his well tried .feItou soldier and
"feIou patriot, is more precious than the
" applause of ~younging forwardness, " sc,
Irlao1 - 1n.nt L. al. nxpIaAno EloA d.